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women's basketball: news and notes Double vertime official practices open BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com large amount Considering theget duringtime of individual workout the Boilermakers the summer these days, the official start of practices can be sort of anticlimactic. But Sharon Versyp says she tries to make the day — in this season's case, Oct. 1 — as fresh as possible. "It can blend together," the eighth-year Purdue coach said. "But that's why I make sure they don't have their gear until (the first official day), their new shoes, all their new stuff, so there's some excitement. "And it's a three-hour practice, so more intensity and it goes to another level. It's exciting every single year, but I try to do things a little differently." This summer, a new NCAA women's basketball rule — it was implemented a year before in men's hoops — allowed coaches to work with their players for eight hours a week, including two hours on the court, provided athletes Tom Campbell Sharon Versyp begins her eighth year in West Lafayette. were in summer school or had met certain academic requirements. Versyp enjoyed the extra time. "I was able to put in a whole new offense to see if we liked it or not," she said. "I thought that was a huge benefit and it's the first practice and we already have three major offenses in and that's never happened before. And we're extremely young and inexperienced, so we've just got to get really good at these and then we'll add more. We're a lot further along." Versyp said that added up to a solid first day of practice. "The effort was amazing," she said. "They work exceptionally ing the Boilermakers an opportuhard. We added some things, and nity to play their first two tourney games in Mackey Arena. they caught on quickly." It's the third time in the last Mostly Healthy seven years that Purdue has hostThe Boilermakers are enjoying ed, following postseason action in a relatively healthy start to the sea- 2008 and 2012. son, something they haven't been "We're excited to have the able to say much in recent years. opportunity to bring our local The only concerns as practice fans more postseason basketbegan earlier this month were Tor- ball," Versyp said in a release. "Our rie Thornton and Whitney Bays, staff has shown we can host a each of whom had knee surgeries first-rate NCAA Championship last year. event, and we're thrilled that they Versyp says the duo is being continue to bring games back to eased back to a full workload. Mackey Arena." "We did a really good job with The Boilermakers are 2-2 in Torrie and Whitney, and they're go- NCAA Tournament action at Macking to be (going) every other day," ey Arena under Versyp and 19-7 Versyp said. "We're going to keep all-time. Purdue has advanced to doing that for a while, because it's the Sweet 16 six times when hostsuch a long season. They want to ing the first- and second-round do more, but that's pretty much games, including its 1999 NCAA what we're going to do 'cause we Championship run. The Boilermakneed to save them and their bodies ers most recently accomplished aren't as ready as the rest of them." the feat in 2006, topping Missouri State and UCLA as a No. 4 seed. Purdue Selected As "It always gives the team NCAA Host a little extra incentive to know Purdue is one of 16 host sites that if we're able to advance to for the NCAA Tournament, giv- the postseason we get to play 2013-14 women's BASKETBALL SCHEDULE DateOpponent Nov. 3 CLARK (exh.) (BTND) Nov. 10 BALL STATE (BTND) Nov. 13 at IUPUI Nov. 17 at Toledo Nov. 22 BELMONT Time 2 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 5:30 p.m. Puerto Vallarta Holiday Tournament Nov. 26 Stanford 5 p.m. Nov. 28 TCU 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 TBATBA ACC/Big Ten Challenge Dec. 5 at Duke 6:30 p.m. Dec. 8 Dec. 15 Dec. 18 Dec. 22 Dec. 28 Jan. 2 Jan. 6 Jan. 9 Jan. 12 Jan. 15 Jan. 19 Jan. 23 Jan. 27 Jan. 30 Feb. 2 Feb. 6 Feb. 9 Feb. 16 Feb. 20 Feb. 23 March 2 March 6-9 3 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. Noon 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 8 p.m. 2 p.m. 7 p.m. 5 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 6 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 7 p.m. Noon TBA 8 p.m. 2 p.m. 2 p.m. TBA at Kansas IPFW at Green Bay BOWLING GREEN CENTRAL MICHIGAN at Ohio State INDIANA (BTN) at Northwestern at Penn State (ESPN2) MICHIGAN (BTND) at Nebraska (BTN) NORTHWESTERN (BTN) at Illinois (BTN) PENN STATE (BTN) at Michigan State (BTN) OHIO STATE (BTND) at Michigan (BTN) IOWA (BTND) at Minnesota WISCONSIN (BTN) NEBRASKA (ESPN2) Big Ten Tournament* * Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis at home," Versyp said. "We have some of the best fans in the country and having their support on our home floor is always a great advantage for us." The Boilermakers will host on either Saturday, March 22, and Monday, March 24 or Sunday, March 23, and Tuesday, March 25. j GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 6 • 39