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Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/200613
q & A : m a t t p a i n t e r 'More Focused On Winning' Painter sees different attitude BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com V ery little will be expected of Purdue this season, not after what happened last season. For the first time since Matt Painter's ill-fated, injury-riddled first season as the Boilermakers' head coach, Purdue finished with a losing record and missed the NCAA Tournament, after a run of a half dozen consecutive berths. But while many on the periphery see the Boilermakers for what they were last season and thus expect another season of relative irrelevance, Painter hopes he's seeing something much different unfold during preseason preparation: A deeper, bigger, more skilled and newly motivated roster with distinct potential. As for the forecasts of an eighthplace finish, or worse, in the Big Ten — and there are many of them, a survey of preseason magazines and rankings will reveal — the Boilermaker coach isn't too worried about it. "I don't think it really matters," Painter said. "For us, I think we need to focus on our improvement and keeping our focus on being good together. And when you struggle, staying together. And I think that's an important piece of making improvements." During the first week of practice, Gold and Black sat down with Painter for an extended, in-depth interview. Below are excerpts. Gold and Black: Why is this season going to be different than last? f Tom Campbell Coach Matt Painter thinks the Boilermakers can be better this season, in part because of their increased depth. Painter: "First off, we have more depth. We have more guys who can play different positions and just the experience that A.J. Hammons, Rapheal Davis and Ronnie Johnson got last year is really going to help. I know we learned some real tough lessons, especially in non-conference play. We had to change our approach and we just didn't. I think we have a team now that's more focused on winning and not just worrying about them- selves. The addition of our freshmen, our two fifth-year guys and Jay Simpson just makes us a more talented team. "Outside of Robbie Hummel, Lewis Jackson, and Ryne Smith's senior year, our strength has been in our defense. Not to say we haven't had good offensive years, but our strength has been in our defense. I really look at this team and like our potential on defense, being able to pressure 1 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 2 23