Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/274846
GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 24 • 4 S unday afternoon, Matt Painter did what anyone who had to sit through his team's dreadful loss to dreadful Northwestern probably considered a time or two through the course of the afternoon: He plunged a sword into his belly. This was a figurative blade, of course, as the Purdue coach committed press confer- ence hari kari following his team's shocking last-place finish during the Big Ten regular season, using the term "my fault" four times in the span of six spoken sentences and stop- ping just short of lighting himself on fire. It was probably cathartic in some small way for angry fans to hear, at least to some degree, as well as a calculated move on Paint- er's part not only to be accountable, which he's always been, but also to set an example for the players he'll need to take a long look in the mirror in coming weeks and months, as the coach will have to do himself. "Shocking" is no overstatement in de- scribing the bottoming out the Boilermakers brought on themselves this season. Purdue was a losing team last season. In the offseason, it went out and got bet- ter players. The result: It was worse this year with a more easily navigable schedule. It's been two disappointing seasons with two different rosters with the same problems. There will be plenty of time to diagnose all that went wrong this season — and be- lieve me, we will — later on, after this season that's unofficially over is officially so. But for the time being, the issue of "fault" has come to the forefront. Yes, it's Painter's fault. Of course it is. Fault is always directly associated with the head coach when things go wrong, the same way credit is when they go right. It's in the fine print of those multi-million-dollar contracts. It's Painter who recruited this group, de- veloped it to this point and played the role of Charlie Brown's teacher on the practice floor, as evidenced every time Purdue chucks a bad jumper or serves as a subway turnstile on a simple defensive assignment. Wah, wah, wah, waaaah, wah, waaaaaah. Painter coaches one way, for better and worse, and what he's asking from his players is not a terribly complex one at its core: Try hard, listen, care and make good decisions. In advance of senior day, Travis Carroll was lauded for his contributions to the pro- gram, all of which were based on the sim- plest, most basic things, things literally any- one can do. He tried hard, he encouraged people around him and he played with some measure of sound basketball sense. He cared. That's all it takes sometimes and if those without the senior's physical limitations would carry themselves the same way, this season would have turned out entirely different. Painter often says, "You shouldn't get credit for doing what you're supposed to do," but trumpets Carroll and Rapheal Davis for doing just that. Why? Because on this team, they stand out like the Statue of Liberty over the Hudson River, and that's part of the problem. But that's also the fault of the man who hand-picked this roster and hasn't been able to make it work. College basketball is played by kids, those who aren't yet fully developed as players or people. It's part of coaches' jobs to make the best of it. Now, it's Painter's job to figure it out. The future of Purdue's pro - gram depends on it, because one bad season can be an anomaly, two the beginning of a downward spiral. There won't be a player on next season's roster who's played in an NCAA Tournament game and it was just three years ago that Purdue played in an NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers should have been better this season, much better, but it hasn't been. That's the fault of everyone, of Painter, his coaches and of the dozen or so guys — some more than others — in that locker room. And now it's up to everyone to fix it. Especially the one guy who's contractu - ally obligated to do so. j Neubert can be contacted at BNeubert @GoldandBlack.com f r o m e d i t o r b r i a n n e u b e r t fault line SERIOUS. FUN. NIKE TENNIS CAMPS USSportsCamps.com 1-800-NIKE CAMP (1-800-645-3226) All Rights reserved. Nike and the Swoosh design are registered trademarks of Nike, Inc. and its affiliates, and are used under license. Nike is the title sponsor of the camps and has no control over the operation of the camps or the acts or omissions of US Sports Camps. Purdue university Directed by Head Men's Coach, Pawel Gajdzik June 22-26 & June 29-July 3 Overnight, Extended Day and Day Options Boys and Girls | Ages 9-18 All Skills | High School | Tournament Training Camps are open to any and all entrants, limited only by age and availability