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fewer games than 7-footer A.J. Hammons. And rebounding is one area he seems to allow kudos. ���I���ve raised the bar a little bit on myself rebounding-wise,��� he said. ���That���s definitely something with effort, going to the offensive boards and then on defense, just going and getting the ball sometimes. A lot of guards don���t go to the glass, and me going inside and helping the big guys out rebounding, I think that���s very helpful for us.��� Unfortunately for Johnson, it���s not been enough to add more victories to a frustrating season. He���s fighting to stay positive, to be the leader the team needs by coming to practice ready to go, playing hard daily and challenging himself to focus and execute the scouting reports. ���I can see a little bit of frustration. He���s a winner, and he hates to lose,��� said freshman point guard and brother Ronnie Johnson. ���But, at the end of the day, he���s not quitting on us. He���s still going to come out every day and give it his all.��� It���s just that Terone Johnson���s satisfaction seemingly can���t be measured by his effort, points, rebounds, shooting percentage or stellar defensive performances. It���s measured one way. ���It���s been really tough, actually, just because the ups and downs. I���ve never been used to losing this many games, especially at the beginning of the season like that,��� said Terone Johnson, who helped North Central to two Class 4A state championships. ���I think it���s tougher for me because I can see that we can do it because we���ve done it against good teams. Then when we don���t come out and do it, that���s what makes it tough for me. I think I can���t let it get to my head, but it���s just the competitiveness in me and it gets tough for me.��� j Jamie Owens Johnson is having his best season at Purdue, averaging career highs in points and rebounds and seeing an increase in three-point percentage and shooting percentage. provement is largely because he had the most productive offseason of his college career. For the first time, Johnson was healthy. He was able to get in peak condition, participate in full weight-room sessions with teammates and, perhaps most importantly, get a chance to spend extra time working on his shot. After making only 44 percent of his 108 free throws as a sophomore and 31 percent of his three-pointers, that was a point of emphasis. So Johnson met with former Boilermaker and Pacers guard Billy Keller for one-on-one sessions at least twice a week for about one month last summer. Keller tweaked some of Johnson���s mechanics ��� his hand placement on the ball and making sure the shot was originating from in front of him instead of the side of his head. That has led to a more fluid-looking jump shot and also, though still a struggle at times, a more accurate free throw. ���My shot feels a lot better,��� Johnson said. ���From the outside, it���s just picking my spots. Sometimes I shoot them (too) early in the shot clock, things like that. I think I���ve got to learn from that, too, this offseason. Watching a lot of film. ���There���s a lot of shots that have gone in and out, I get frustrated off of it. Some games, I���m like, ���I���m just not even shooting it anymore��� because it���s just not going in. I think I just need to keep on going with it, keeping on working on my game and getting better for not only me but for everybody. It is going to help us.��� The same could be said for Johnson���s intentions on the glass. Six times in the team���s first 26 games, the 6-foot-2 junior led the Boilermakers in rebounds. He���s had at least 10 in a game twice this season ��� two GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com Warren Hill, ME ���63 Jim Hill, MET ���95, MBA ���03 Jim Billard, LA ���90 Brian Teyema, ME ���87 Scott Dierking, IM ���77 Russ Nelson, BCM ���00 David Pikey, PH ���97 Angela Billard, ED ���90 Bill Silfies, MBA '03 Nick Muscolino, MET ���06 Matthew Crawford, MET ���05 Bob Hill, BCM ���06 Ryan Stojkovich, BS ���97 Mike Ivanovic, AS ���81 Anthony Borgnini, ME '07 Anthony Camasta, MET ���04 Beth Beigelbeck, SM ���97 Deborah Toth, MET '07 Daniel Block, ME '08 Daniel Gasser, BS '04 Jason Jones, MET ���08 Nick Johnson, BCM ���09 Bryan O���Neill, BCM ���09 Steven Sitkowski, BCM ���10 Chris Summers, ME ���10 Isaac Townsend, ME ���10 Don Wunderlich, ME ���13 Chris Gushurst, BCM ���11 Joe Motuliak, MBA ���11 Taylor Spaulding, ME ���12 Grant Fillipatch, MET ���12 Jessica James, BS ���13 Robert C Krier, MET ���13 Andy Mack, BS ���15 Kevin Morrisroe, ME ���15 Michael Rish, BCM ���13 Martin Smith, MET ���13 PURDUE PRIDE ... We���re proud to be Illinois��� largest HVAC contractor and to have 37 outstanding Purdue alumni on our HVAC/Plumbing team. THE HILL GROUP CARLE HOSPITAL ��� Urbana, IL The Hill Group was chosen for the HVAC, medical gas piping, plumbing, fire protecton, test and balance, and commissioning for this new ninestory, 378,000 square foot hospital. hillgrp.com Gold & Black IllustrateD ��� volume 23, issue 4 ������ 49