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IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 57 f weeks, if that, after being fully cleared for full-con- tact participation and right on the heels of being sidelined for months. "This offseason, I didn't really have much time to get my body strong. My conditioning wasn't real- ly where I wanted and right now I'm kind of paying the price," said Stephens, who's also been plagued by a lingering groin pull the past month or two. "My body's pretty beat up right now, pretty fatigued, but it's just (about) getting in the cold tub and constant- ly staying on top of my body and getting treatment when I need it. But I'm definitely feeling wear and tear right now." Stephens said the fatigue is making him mental- ly tougher, a long-term silver lining. But it stands to reason that no player on Purdue's roster stands to benefit from an offseason spent fully healthy than Stephens. But that's many weeks away. Right now, Stephens is getting better as his body gets weaker. He's making plays lately he wouldn't have imag- ined making in November. He's been good for about one new one a game. Against Minnesota, he drew his defender with a shot fake from behind the arc, then dribbled past the close-out and banked in a two-point jumper high off the glass from the wing. Stephens scored a sea- son-high 14 points in the triple-overtime win. Against Ohio State, it was another drive past a clos- ing-out defender, this time for a foul and difficult finish. In Purdue's win over Indiana, Stephens ran in transition and followed Terone Johnson's miss and was fouled on his tip-in, another eventual three- point play. This was the same game in which the long, lanky guard blocked three shots, doubling his season total, all of them around the basket. All of these plays were made by a player who's generated 82 percent of his scoring this season off three-pointers, glimmers of a more complete player developing within the consummate "shooter." Against No. 13 Michigan State, Stephens erupted for his best game of the season, scoring 19 points on 4-of-5 long-range shooting, but also being aggressive enough to work his way to the foul line often, making 7-of-8. In 12 Big Ten games prior, he attempted 11 free throws total. Stephens also nabbed three steals against the Spartans. That performance capped a four-game stretch in which Stephens averaged nearly 13 points on 12-of- 24 shooting from long range. What has been most apparent in Stephens has been burgeoning confidence as his level of play has risen while his body has worn down. "He's gotten a lot more confident," classmate and roommate Basil Smotherman said. "At the beginning of the year he was more hesitant, like a lot of fresh- men." At this stage of his career, Stephens isn't the most extroverted personality or high-motor, de- monstrative presence. His teammates sometimes call him "Space Cadet," a nod to his understated, almost sleepy, demeanor away from the floor. But those paying close attention are seeing a bit of transformation on the floor. "He's starting to get in a little flow, getting a lit- tle pep in his step," guard Sterling Carter said. "He's Tom Campbell Stephens is working on his defense and with his length has shown an ability to block shots. He blocked three in the win over Indiana in mid-February.