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ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 2 11 f seasons ago, Purdue's been ravaged by ball insecurity, shoddy decision-making and reckless play, all plain as day to see. Its defensive identity, built largely on effort, teamwork and discipline, has crumbled. Chemistry has been distinctly poor. There has been almost overt resistance to Painter's mandate to feed the post, to try to leverage Hammons' presence on the interior as often as possible. The cen- ter's self-admitted inconsistencies only amplified the matter. Painter has told returning players about welcoming newcomers, "Just because no one helped you when you got here, don't use that as a reason to not help them." It doesn't paint a pretty picture. Players have talked of a toxic locker room environ- ment in recent seasons, to the point, Davis said, they've now adopted the volleyball team's behind-closed-doors policy of, "No negative words." "Not about school, practice, coaches, anything," Da- vis said. "We took that and embraced it and it's made a big difference now. Everyone's posi- tive and the vibe we give each other, it's unbe- lievable." Talk of how this new group communicates and listens comes off as a compliment to those in the pro- gram now, but also a sharp in- dictment of con- ditions before. L e a d e r s h i p has come into question. Last Christ- mas, Davis, then a sophomore, was blind-sided when he was abruptly named a team captain after the title was pulled from se- nior Terone Johnson, a transaction Purdue never made public. After the season, starting point guard Ronnie Johnson left the program with two seasons of eligibility remain- ing, later telling the Indianapolis Star he left to find a program that would better fit his playing style, allow him to "play through mistakes" and be a "coach on the floor." Ronnie Johnson, who started all but five games in his two seasons at Purdue, transferred to Houston. One returning Boilermaker tells of an implosion mid- season last year in which players simply started worry- ing most about "getting theirs." "Not to harp on the same things, but you have to have everyone on the same page, and we were not on the same page," Painter said. "I keep using the line, 'Every- one has to be pulling the rope in the same direction.' It can be so counter-productive when (a team is) working so hard, and people are behind the scenes not buying Tom Campbell Rapheal Davis hopes last year's last place finish will serve as ample motivation. Tom Campbell Basil Smotherman will be asked to pro- vide energy to go along with consitentcy.