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Tom Campbell Despite just being in his second year, Rapheal Davis has shown leadership qualities to go along with his considerable court skill. utes per appearance, there were highs and lows for Johnson, as he learned as he went at the most important position on the floor. But the highs were significant. Johnson was one of the top freshman guards in the Big Ten, averaging 10.3 points and more than four assists. Like his older brother, Ronnie Johnson spent time this off-season working with a shooting specialist. He made just six threes on 36 attempts last season, but Painter insists that improved shot selection could make all the difference in the world in that sense, a point he's applied to his entire team in that category. "I'm just trying to get wide-open and taking better shots and trying to knock them down when I'm open," Ronnie Johnson said. Less tangibly, Painter has urged f the sophomore to become an improved leader, to serve as more of a commanding presence for the Boilermakers on the offensive end. It's a role Johnson said he's taking seriously. "I think I'm starting to show more leadership, huddling my teammates and talking (more)," he said. "I think I'm starting to earn more trust." Johnson and Johnson could — or should — vie for All-Big Ten acclaim this season. So should Hammons, the sophomore 7-footer who had a chance this off-season to catch his breath after so much was asked of him so early in his college career last year. Consistency, in all its forms, remains a critical goal for the big man, but there are few big men in all of college basketball capable of more. The 2013 All-Big Ten Freshman Team member established himself almost immediately last season as Purdue's most influential player, at both ends of the floor. On offense, he quickly became a focal point, an adjustment for all parties that didn't always seem to go terribly smoothly, even though the big man was generally productive, averaging double-figures for the season. On defense, Hammons was obviously Purdue's foremost presence, finishing second in the Big Ten in shot-blocking and leading the Boilermakers in rebounding, at six per game, a number Purdue will want to see spike this year. The Boilermakers will need much more out of Hammons, who would seem better suited to handle it now that he's experienced and spent the offseason improving his condition- ing. As much as anything, Purdue will need its pivot to be consistent and aggressive. "I felt like I played big when I needed to," Hammons said. "Sometimes I let people push me around and I would just give up, but this year it's going to be a different story." Last year, Hammons was the Boilermakers' foremost presence on the interior. This year, Purdue hopes, it'll have two. Technically, Simpson isn't debuting after he played in 10 games last season before being pulled back to redshirt, but of all Purdue's promising newcomers, he may be the most promising. The 6-10 big man, now clearly in the best shape he's ever been in, and his atypical multitude of skills could make him a major contributor, maybe even a standout, right away. At best, Simpson gives the Boilermakers size, but also an uncommon blend of interior play and the ability to shoot from the perimeter, handle the ball and pass out of the post. Conditioning has always been a hurdle for Simpson, especially after he showed up at Purdue last summer weighing in the vicinity of 280 pounds after he was injured. Today, he's around 250, and running, moving and jumping better than he has at any point in his playing career. Conditioning remains a work in progress, he said, but is coming along. "I'm more athletic now," Simpson said, "so I can get up higher for rebounds and play above the rim. I'm getting stronger in the post and I can finish with contact now. I see different things I wasn't able to see IllustrateD volume 24, issue 2 9