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ing to start, let alone be the most influential player on its roster, as it turned out. He says he didn't know what to expect and he certainly didn't know what he was capable of. Hammons never has, really, as he's always had to be convinced. "I think he's going to show a lot more flashes this year, but he still has no idea how good he can be," Quarles said. "… This year he's worked a lot harder and he's going to see more of those flashes than he did last year and more consistency. His confidence always builds when he sees the end result." A confident, well-prepared Hammons is a must for the Boilermakers this season. The cast of players around him this season might be upgraded in many senses, but nevertheless, he may be just as crucial to his team's success. But what Purdue needs more than anything else is for Hammons to just be engaged at all times, energetic and aware. "Now," Painter said, "it's just a matter of putting it all together and just the basic concept of waking up every single day and doing what he's supposed to be doing." Teammates have seen a difference. "He wants to be out there this year and I'm not sure that was the case the whole time last year," said senior Travis Carroll, who seems to relish his role as Hammons' practice-floor foil. "He wants to win and he's sprinting up and down the court. … Not just during practice, but he'll stay after with Coach (Brandon) Brantley and put in extra work. He didn't always do those 22 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 2 things before." In so doing, Hammons has built some collateral with teammates who grew weary of his erratic play before. "It was really tough to see a guy of his size and potential not showing up each day last year, especially for big games," Carroll said. "It was frustrating, but he was an immature freshman and he's taken notice of how he acted last year and really tried his hardest to change and that's benefited us." And in the long run, it will benefit Hammons. No one associated with the big man wants him worrying about anything more than "winning each day," as Painter puts it, but if Hammons has the sort of season most believe he's capable of, he will have a decision to make in the spring. Seven-footers with skill, big men who run the way Hammons runs, with soft hands and nimble feet and a keen basketball IQ, they tend to be pretty popular among NBA general managers. And Hammons is all of those things. It's plain to see that the Boilermaker big man is bound to play professional basketball. When, that remains to be seen. "I'm not even thinking about that right now," says Hammons, saying what he's supposed to say this time of year. "That's something you have to worry about when the sea- son is over. The season is just about to start, so I'm not even worrying about it." That's just about the best thing Hammons can be right now: Worry-free. And Purdue doesn't have to worry quite as much now, either. "What happened last year, that was last year and that's not important now," Carroll said. "What's important now is that he's changed and is better this year. It's exciting for me to see how he's starting to reach his potential." Hammons is being closely watched, though, to make sure he stays on that trajectory. "There's been a couple days where we're watching his body language and thinking, 'This might not be his best day,' " said Brantley, who's working with Purdue's big men in his first season on the Boilermaker staff, "but he'll find a way to work through it and we'll walk away impressed. "But that's kids in general. As you get older, you find ways to get through it and that's what he's doing."j f