GBI Magazine

Gold and Black Illustrated, May/June 2014

Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.

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76 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 5 f w o m e n ' s b a s k e t b a l l April Wilson 25 G • 5-7 • Jr. When KK Houser went down with a knee injury in the last month of the season, Purdue asked Wilson to increase her role, not only with scoring but leadership, too. And she came through, becoming a go-to player offensively and attempting to communicate more on the court. That will continue next season, and even more so, now that she's the Boilermakers' only proven scorer in the backcourt. Hayden Hamby 10 G • 5-7 • Jr. After the season, Coach Sharon Versyp said the off- guard spot was Hamby's to lose. That's a big responsibility for Hamby, who has been only a bit player during her first two seasons. But she was a big-time scorer in high school, and with greater confidence, which she started to display in the last month of last season, she's starting to find her touch. Offseason ankle surgery will slow her develop- ment some — and she needs to work on her outside shooting — but she'll get every opportu- nity to develop into a starter. Bridget Perry 13 F • 6-2 • So. At times last season, Perry showed her potential, being an aggressive, fearless scorer, and giving the Boilermakers a dose of some- thing they otherwise lacked: size on the perimeter. If she could find a way to become a bit quicker, or at least get more crafty in keeping defenders off-balance, then her combina- tion of shooting, driving and strength could be difficult to handle. Whitney Bays 32 F • 6-2 • Sr. (5) Only injuries slow Bays down, the latest being a stress fracture in her foot that has required a screw. It'll keep her on the side- line for the next few months, an unfortunate happening for the second-year Boilermaker, who is looking to turn in an All-Big Ten-type campaign as a senior. If Bays can put in enough time, when healthy, this summer, to further develop her perimeter game — she's a good shooter up to about 15 feet — then defenses will be hard pressed to stop her. She's a double-dou- ble-type player. Liza Clemons 23 F • 6-2 • Sr. Clemons made a huge leap in productivity as a junior, averaging nearly five times as many points and rebounds as she did a year prior. And she did so despite terrible personal tragedy. Clemons was a con- sistent contributor inside, and occasionally could break out for a big game. Her body was a wreck by the end of the season, with a stress fracture in her leg and a sore back. Haley Bodnar F • 6-3 • Fr. Bodnar is a back-to- the-basket post, with a variety of moves inside that can allow her to score, but with agility, too, giving her the ability to step out on the perimeter. Justine Hall G • 5-10 • Fr. Hall is a versatile guard who is likely to slot in as a 2 guard, because of her abil- ity to score. Purdue needs that, after the losses of Courtney Moses and Houser. But Hall's strengths lie in her speed and ability to break down a defense. That also gives her the potential to play some at the point or on the wing. Bree Horrocks C • 6-4 • Fr. Horrocks is a true 5 player, a center who can defend the paint but also one who can step out to shoot from the perimeter, perhaps even from three-point range. And she can run, a critical part of Purdue's now up-tempo offense. Andreona Keys F • 5-11 • Fr. Keys can bring a defensive presence to the Boilermakers, but is also capable of putting the ball on the floor to get to the bas- ket. Considering the loss of Dee Dee Williams on the wing, Keys should have an opportunity to fill a similar type of role. Gold and Black's Women's Hoops Lineup The Starters The Reserves Erica Moore F • 6-2 • Fr. Moore brings a physi- cal, powerful presence to Purdue's interior, a trait the program's not had recently. The forward is coming off a knee injury that cost her most of her senior season but she is thought to be healthy again. — Kyle Charters Ashley Morrissette 1 G • 5-9 • So. Morrisette is Purdue's best shooter, which she showed at times earlier in the season. But as the Big Ten rolled around, when defenses were more physical on the perimeter, her opportunities became fewer. Gaining strength is an offsea- son is a must, so that she can better deal with the physical pounding that she'll endure. Minutes are available on the perimeter. Camille Redmon 42 C • 6-4 • Sr. (5) Redmon started 16 of 31 games last season and could be a starter again in 2014-15 depending on matchups. Purdue's so experienced in the frontcourt that it'll have to make some decisions on which of its three veterans, with Bays and Clemons, are starters. But Redmon's roll became solidified after a Big Ten season in which she developed into a defensive difference-maker in the middle. Torrie Thornton 4 F • 6-0 • Jr. Thornton filled an important role for the Boilermakers last season, giving them a versatile power forward that could defend inside and on the perimeter. Now, she's likely to fill in elsewhere, as Versyp has said she'll move to the perimeter, likely at small forward, to help build depth there. Thornton's knees have long been an issue, but if they are feeling better next season, then she could have consistent value.

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