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ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 2 17 f porting cast help him. Painter believes he's surrounded Hammons now with more shooting, more basketball savvy and better, more willing, passers and is banking on it paying off in the form of a dominant season. To this point, Hammons has shown flashes of such capability, but was undermined as a freshman by head-scratching inconsistency and as a sophomore more by foul problems than anything else. Both are hurdles he's taken steps toward remedying and Purdue's taken steps toward helping him remedy, implementing zone defense largely to protect him from foul problems. It's a practical move, considering Hammons might pretty much have to be the Boilermakers' everything this season, on some nights if not most. "He can affect the game at both ends of the court, defensively blocking shots and being the anchor on the back line of your defense, but also offensively demanding the basketball, wanting the basketball, but also making good decisions," Painter said. "Any time you can score the basketball, they are going to double you and give you some different looks, so I think it is important for him to keep his focus on his effort, changing ends, being in a stance, communicating at all times, being more de- manding of himself." Hammons' classmate, Davis, doesn't know where he'll play this season, whether it's at the 4 position or on the wing, but whichever the slot, he'll play, a lot. The 6-5 swingman finished last season on an uptick as both a scorer and rebounder and figures to be an im- portant offensive contributor as a junior, a player Purdue hopes can be a double-digit-type, garbage-man type of scorer. The sophomores will all be relied on heavily, Stephens figuring to be one of the Boilermakers' most important weapons. A Big Ten All-Freshman pick last season, the then-rook- ie made 64 threes, flirting with the program's E'Twaun Moore-held freshman record. He will inevitably get more opportunities this season and a chance — a chance — to emerge as one of the league's better young perimeter scorers. Smotherman gives Purdue athleticism in its front- court and, Painter hopes, energy. "My goal is to get seven rebounds a game," Smother- man said this summer, setting an ambitious standard for himself. The team's finest athlete, the forward was at his best as a freshman when he crashed the offensive boards for tip-ins, ran the floor for easy baskets and disrupted of- fenses with his length and explosiveness. Scott's looking at a golden opportunity, the next man up at point guard if he transitions into a more point guard-ish way of doing things. He was over-eager, turn- over-prone and out of control at times last season, expe- riences he says he's learned hard lessons from. "I feel like I'm way more comfortable this year," Scott said. "I feel like I know what (Painter) wants from me and that he wants me to do more. I want to do more. With that being said, I feel like it's going to be a pretty good year for me. I feel like I'm a step ahead of where I was last year." If nothing else, Scott's defensive intensity should find him a role, whether Purdue's playing man-to-man or he's bouncing around the middle of a zone looking for steals or deflections. "That's something I hope to be, something I want to be and I feel like it's something they've assigned me to be," Scott said early on during preseason practice. "I'm taking it day by day, making sure I'm listening to details and doing the little things on defense just to get right." There are so many phases of the game Purdue has to Tom Campbell Considered to be one of Purdue's two best shooters, Dakota Mathias could make a significant impact early.