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IllustrateD volume 24, issue 5 61 f he was rugged enough to be a consistent dozen-a-game- type rebounder in high school. Thompson, obviously, comes into a position where playing time is there for the taking. Taylor, it remains to be seen. The tall, athletic post was recruited for his potential in the long run and is coming off a senior season marred to an extent by the aftermath of injury. No matter how much the freshmen play, they will play. A lot. So Purdue will be young, even more so than it was in 2012-13, when three freshmen played big minutes, in- cluding starters at the two most important positions on the floor, point guard and center. But maybe there's an appropriateness to Purdue start- ing from scratch again in a way, because its turnaround must lie in the most basic components of the game: Decision-making, chemistry, unselfishness and effort among them. "As simple as it is, it's just about executing, doing little things," Stephens said. "It's pretty (obvious) but Coach Painter knows what he's doing and knows how to put people in a position to win. When you're not doing what he's asking or when you're trying to do things your own way, you're going to get exposed. "The most important thing is getting everybody on the same page and playing team basketball to get to where we want to be and need to be." Davis, who was named a captain mid-season and now returns in that capacity as one of the Boilermakers' fore- most alpha personalities, was committed to the program for three seasons while Purdue was winning 20-plus games a year. Since he's been on the team, it's a combined 31-35. So he's seen from afar what's worked and seen up close what hasn't. "It's about buying into the system," Davis said, "and getting back to the Purdue way of working hard and be- ing disciplined and playing good defense. That'll take us back to where we need to be." j Joining the Be The Match Stem Cell Registry is easy and can be done online. Go to http://join.bethematch.org/ThomasReiter. Fill out the form online and a cheek swab will be mailed to you. To make a donation to help save lives, go to http://www.bethematchoncampus.org/Purdue You could be the one to save a life. Tom Reiter, Associate Athletics Director at Purdue, recently passed away from Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Thanks to an unrelated donor who joned Be The Match and donated their stem cells to Tom, he was able to have hope and the chance of living cancer free. Every year, more than 10,000 patients in the U.S. are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia or lymphoma, and their best or only hope of a cure is a transplant from an unrelated adult donor. Your tax deductible contribution will go toward adding more potential donors to the Be The Match Registry, giving more searching patients hope for a cure. To make a tax-deductible donation to help save lives, go to www. bethematchoncampus.org/purdue. You have the power to heal, the power to save a life. Take the first step. Donate today in honor of Tom Reiter and all those fighting cancer.