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in place the lessons that have made him an instant suc- so but before long I'm bouncing off the walls, singing in cess as a Boilermaker. the car," he said. "Bryson (Scott) is like, 'Man, you need to In the ultimate rebuke of those who figured Smother- calm down.' My mom tells me I need a tranquilizer gun or man couldn't play in the Big Ten, he's not just playing, he's something. But nobody's going to stop my energy. I'm a litstarting. tle crazy and that's how I'm going to bring it on the court." That distinction may or may not endure, as Purdue's From over-ranked 15-year-old reliant on his scoring to clearly still sorting things out as it battles inconsistency underdog 18-year-old thriving now as a grinder, it's been and looks for the best mixes, but to date, the 6-foot-7ish some ride for Smotherman to this point. forward has been a revelation for Painter. To this starting point, at least. Smotherman's dynamic athleticism, coupled with his Basil Smotherman Sr. — the high school coach and foroften-commended effort, has made him a force on the of- mer overseas professional player — knows his son and fensive glass, on average probably good for about one ac- his son's game best. He sees both as having matured conrobatic tip-in per outing. siderably. His deferential nature has been welcomed "glue" for an "What I'm seeing now and what a lot of other people are offense that has a lot of players who can score and some- seeing, I don't think he's even scratching the surface yet," times too many who want to. Painter says he appreciates Smotherman Sr. said. "He has a very high ceiling. A big that Smotherman "only takes shots he can make." part of this now is making that transition to college from "You can do little things and offense will come," Smoth- high school. You might have some really high-tier kids who erman said. "If I score two points right now, it feels like 20 are anomalies and can make that adjustment (easily), but and if I score eight, it feels like 80." it's not easy. He's making that transition now and gaining Big and athletic, with quick enough feet to guard mul- confidence. What you're seeing is the result of that." tiple positions, Smotherman has the makings, Purdue Over time, though, what Smotherman Jr. has come to hopes, of a future defensive stopper, though he's not near- realize is to not waver with the tide of outside sentiment, ly there yet. be it praiseful or poisonous. And then there's the leaping. The perspective that comes with maturity reminds Dunks are cosmetic, maybe the most over-blown play in Smotherman what ultimately got him where he is today basketball, counting for the exact same two points a layup — in the face of so much skepticism — and what he must or a pair of free throws would. continue to do to get to where he wants to go. But the video-game-like nature of how Smotherman "I have to stay my course," he said, "and do what I have throws down, it's something that's served as fuel for team- to do and bring it every day."j mates and home crowds alike. Smotherman's only half-joking when he says that A Fee-Based Investment Advisor teammates have "stopped jumping with me" at the located in the Purdue Research Park rim in practice, for fear of being the victim of one of the lefty's slams, like the one from the Rider game that made the "SportsCenter Top 10" that night. Such plays are doses of energy for all involved, underscoring the rookie's most notable contribution to date. For all Smotherman has brought to the Boiler25+ Years of Investment Management Experience makers in his first dozen or so games as a Big Ten 1241 Cumberland Ave, Suite B West Lafayette, IN 47906 player, the most notable is simple: Energy. Phone: 765-497-0197 Smotherman's electric athleticism is matched www.bankerinvestmentgroup.com only by his frenetic enthusiasm. Bill Banker, President "I'm energy all the time. I'll get up at 7:30 and go Purdue University Alumni 85' Purdue Baseball Alumni 81'-85' to breakfast. Maybe I'll be down for five minutes or f IllustrateD volume 24, issue 3 63