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GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 24 • 9 BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com M att Painter believes Jay Simpson, with his unique skill set, could have developed into an All-Big Ten player. Now, though, the redshirt freshman is trying to grasp never being able to play the game he loves again. After collapsing against Nebraska on Feb. 23, Simpson missed Purdue's next two games before finding out why: Hyper- trophic cardiomyopathy, a condi- tion that causes structural abnor- malities to the heart. Before Purdue played March 5 at Wisconsin, Painter went to room to room to tell players the news. It wasn't easy to handle for them either. "It's very sad," senior Terone Johnson said. "At that age, bas- ketball is everything to you. Ev- erything you've ever done. To be told you can't play anymore, that's very sad. "I'm just happy he found out before something happened worse. That's what I'm thankful for." Simpson will speak with re- porters for the first time since learn- ing of his diagnosis on Tuesday. Strong finiSh Travis Carroll entered his final game at Mackey Arena with a dif- ferent approach. "It was my last game, so I was like, 'Might as well shoot a little bit more,'" he said. And he did. Carroll's four field goal at- tempts were a season-high, and with his aggressive mindset, he scored a season-high seven points and also had a season- high five rebounds in Purdue's senior day loss to Northwestern Sunday. It probably helped that he played 15 minutes — after com- bining for 16 in the previous three games. His season high was 17 minutes. "It was fun being out there," Carroll said afterward. "Fifteen minutes, I can't remember the last time I played 15 minutes, so that was nice for me, especially on senior night, to have a good game for all my family to see." With Simpson out, Carroll is Purdue's backup center behind A.J. Hammons. Hammons has man- aged to stay out of foul trouble, mostly, without Simpson, allowing Painter to increase his minutes. But Carroll knows he'll be ready if called on. Simpson's Career Over Tom Campbell Jay Simpson's basketball career is over before it hardly begun. The redshirt freshman, who played only 26 games for Purdue, won't play again after being diagnosed with a heart condition. vertime ba s k e t ba l l : n e w s a n d n ot e s All-Big ten teAmS The Big Ten will reveal its season honors for men's bas- ketball Monday night. After the Big Ten Network reveals the first, second and third teams, All-Freshman team, All- Defensive team, Coach-of-the- Year and Player-of-the-Year on its "All-Conference Selection Show," go to GoldandBlack. com for a full report. Click here. BOILERMAKERS Follett's Purdue Bookstores West | Black & Gold Mine | follettspurdue.com BOILER UP! ™ With the latest in Purdue Basketball Gear!