GBI Magazine

The Bays Question Whitney Bays is a question mark. A two-time Gatorade Player-of-theYear in West Virginia who ranked as a top-15 recruit in 2010, the 6-foot-2 forward has played little of late. She missed her senior season at Huntington High School with an ACL injury, then redshirted while recovering her first year at Maryland. The second year there, she played about 10 minutes per game, but the injury wasn't fully healed; it required a second surgery just before she transferred to Purdue last summer. NCAA transfer rules forced her to sit the season, although the rehab would have done the same. Purdue is hoping that once healthy, Bays can return to being the player she was so many years ago, when she became one of the top prep players in the country. "If she gets all of her confidence and swagger back, she can ball," Coach Sharon Versyp said. "She's a ball player. It will take a little bit. We told her that she's going to miss more shots right now, so you can't get frustrated. She's just got to get her stamina back and endurance back. She just really knows the game, has that court savvy. She's a very good shooter and scorer, that's what she was known for, so we're just hoping all of that will come back." First, though, Bays needs to get healthy. She's getting closer. As of mid-April, the 6-foot-2 forward was back to running and conditioning and taking a few jump shots. But full-scrimmage type activity is still a couple months off. "My knee is getting better," said Bays, who anticipates being ready to play in June. "As you know, I'm coming off my second ACL injury. It's more mental, I think. There's the fear, but I feel stronger and more confident in it and the support system I have here is great." Bays is ready to play again, after having sat for three of the last four years. "It's been a long season, but an enjoyable one," she said. "My basketball IQ, when you sit out and watch, you get to see things that you don't usually see on the court. It's a blessing in disguise, but I'm ready to get back out there." — Kyle Charters Transfer Whitney Bays will be coming off her second knee surgery, but the former highly regarded recruit has the credentials to have an impact. "Losing Drey and Sam and Chantel (Poston), those are big shoes to fill," said Bays, a transfer from Maryland. "Those are very valuable players that we had this season. I plan to bring passion, somebody that can rebound, get up and down the court. I'm versatile, can shoot from the 3 and drive, so I'm looking to help in any type of way." Although they have personnel questions in the paint, Versyp wants the Boilermakers to become a better rebounding team. That's a lofty goal, particularly considering Ostarello is one of the greatest rebounders in school history, finishing second alltime on the glass in her career and setting the single season Purdue record last year. This past season, when Purdue won the Big Ten Tournament and a game in the NCAA tourney, it held a positive margin on the glass of 3.7, good enough for third-best in the Big Ten. But the Boilermakers weren't as good on the offensive side, where they averaged only 12 boards per game, sixth in the league. "That's something we need to improve in," Versyp said. "We have to do well, but I think we have to do a lot better. Obviously, with Sam O being a top rebounder and leaving, we've got to do more." Purdue's strength is in its backcourt, where it has Courtney Moses and KK Houser, who have combined for 170 career starts, returning for their final seasons. Moses led Purdue in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game, but when opponents put bigger defenders on her, like the Cardinals did in the second-round tournament game, she struggled to find open looks. "The biggest thing, looking back at the Louisville game, is being patient, setting up screens and not just running all over," said Moses, who is listed at 5-foot-7. "When you have someone chasing you, you've got to conserve your energy and rely on teammates to set screens. It's about slowing down and being patient." The Boilermakers could stand to do that in all aspects of their guard play. Like recent seasons, turnovers were an issue for Gold & Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 5com

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