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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 7 • 36 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com P urdue's players' creed for this coming season: "NO BS." The motto holds a double meaning for the Boilermakers, one being the obvi- ous and the other an acronym. "Never Operate Below Special," junior and team captain Rapheal Davis said. This was one of the team's takeaways from a weekend spent in September with SEAL Leadership, a program run by a pair of active Navy SEALs, a training regimen designed to push participants physically and mentally, foster teamwork and cre- ate camaraderie. Purdue turned to SEAL Leadership after learning of the success Texas — which went from 16-18 in 2012-13 to 24- 11 last season — had after going through the program. The SEALs sequestered Purdue's players together from Thursday night through Sunday during the first week- end of September, with limited to no phone access or other such distractions. "That whole weekend, waking up at 4 a.m. together, staying together, I think it helped us with our chemistry," Davis said. "We had to stay up and talk to each other and learn about each other. It was a great weekend and great experience." As part of the grueling physical train- ing, players were made to carry heavy logs and tires as teams; carry each other around campus' Slayter Hill; and carry out various other staples of the Navy's vaunt- ed SEAL training regimen. Davis was made to face his lifelong aversion to wa- ter by jumping off the 3-meter platform at Purdue's Boilermaker Aquatics Center. "I went into it thinking, 'OK, I know they're Navy SEALs and I know it's going to be hard, but I know they can't kill us,'" center A.J. Hammons joked. The onus behind Purdue bringing in the SEALs was to take a step toward righting some of the poor intangibles the program's been plagued by the past two seasons: Teamwork, chemistry, com- munication, etc. Players believe the experience was a step in the right direction. M E N ' S BA S K E T BA L L : N E W S A N D N OT E S vertime Purdue took many lessons from its September weekend with SEAL Leadership. 2014-15 PURDUE MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time Nov. 2 CALIFORNIA (Pa.) (BTN Plus) 2 p.m. Nov. 7 CARROLL (BTN Plus) 7 p.m. Nov. 14 SAMFORD (BTN Plus) 7 p.m. Nov. 16 IUPUI (BTN) 3 p.m. Nov. 20 GRAMBLING (BTN Plus) 7 p.m. Maui Invitational - Lahaina, Hawaii Nov. 24 vs. Kansas State (ESPN2) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 25 vs. Arizona/Missouri (ESPN/ESPN2) TBA Nov. 26 vs. TBA (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU TBA Big Ten/ACC Challenge - West Lafayette Dec. 2 NC STATE (ESPN2/ESPNU) 9 p.m. Dec. 6 NORTH FLORIDA (BTN Plus) 2 p.m. Dec. 8 IPFW (ESPNU) 7 p.m. Dec. 10 ARKANSAS STATE (ESPNU) 7 p.m. Dec. 13 at Vanderbilt (SEC Network) 9 p.m. Crossroads Classic - Indianapolis Dec. 20 vs. Notre Dame (BTN) 5:15 p.m. Dec. 22 GARDNER-WEBB (BTN Plus) 6 p.m. Dec. 31 MINNESOTA (BTN) TBA Jan. 3 MICHIGAN (BTN) 2:15 p.m. Jan. 7 at Wisconsin (BTN) 7 p.m. Jan. 10 MARYLAND (BTN) 2:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Penn State 1 p.m. Jan. 21 at Illinois (BTN) 9 p.m. Jan. 24 IOWA (BTN) Noon Jan. 28 INDIANA (BTN) 9 p.m. Jan. 31 at Northwestern (ESPNU) 6 p.m. Feb. 4 OHIO STATE (BTN) 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at Minnesota (BTN) 3 p.m. Feb. 12 at Rutgers(ESPNU) 7 p.m. Feb. 15 NEBRASKA (BTN) 5:15 p.m. Feb. 19 at Indiana (ESPN/ESPN2) 7 p.m. Feb. 26 RUTGERS (ESPNU) 9 p.m. March 1 at Ohio State (CBS/BTN) TBA March 4 at Michigan State (BTN) 8 p.m. March 7 ILLINOIS (BTN) 4:30 p.m. March 11-15 Big Ten Tournament (Chicago) SEAL TRAINING BENEFITS PURDUE