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64 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 2 f BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com S mall ball is gone. As Purdue gets set to embark on the 2014-15 season, it is thinking big, in more ways than one: The Boilermakers want back to the Sweet 16, with that drought now hitting five consecutive seasons, and want to get back there by playing big. Purdue's roster, which saw five departures following last season's 22-win campaign, gets significantly bigger now. Gone are diminutive guards Courtney Moses and KK Houser — their production, more significantly, has departed, too — with Purdue welcoming in a five-player recruiting class that includes three taller than 6-foot-2. And the Boilermakers will adapt to the change in per- sonnel, says Sharon Versyp. "We recruit the best student-athletes," said the ninth- year Purdue coach, who guided Purdue to a 22-9 record last season and fourth-place finish in the Big Ten. "We don't have to just (recruit) to a system. I think you limit yourself with a system. Since we've been here for eight years we have adjusted our system to the players. We are kind of getting back to our first few years here when we had a lot of size." Those first few seasons marked the Boilermakers' last experience of deep NCAA Tournament success, when they made the Elite Eight in 2006-07 and again in 2008-09. But since, they've missed the NCAA Tourna- ment once, then advanced only to the second round the last four seasons. Physicality might be part of the reason why. In the last four years, against UConn, South Caroli- na, Louisville and Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tourna- ment's second round, the Boilermakers got beat up a bit, losing their bids to the Sweet 16. Those opponents — the last three of whom have been lower-seeded teams — negated Purdue's perimeter speed advantage with their own strength. But now, the Boilermak- ers hope they can punch back. "It's always going to be physical," senior tri-captain W O M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L : S E A S O N P R E V I E W Going Big Physicality could be advantage Purdue needs Tom Campbell Purdue's offense will run through senior forward Whitney Bays, who was the Boilermakers' best player by the end of last season. PURDUE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROSTER No. Name El./Cl. Pos. Ht. Hometown (High School/Previous School) 1 Ashley Morrisette So./So. G 5-9 Twinsburg, Ohio (Twinsburg) 4 Torrie Thornton Jr./Sr. F 6-0 Carmel, Ind. (Carmel) 5 Justine Hall Fr./Fr. G 5-10 Denver (Regis Jesuit) 10 Hayden Hamby Jr./Jr. G 5-7 Trinity, Ala. (West Morgan) 13 Bridget Perry So./So. G 6-2 Mooresville, Ind. (Roncalli) 21 Erica Moore Fr./Fr. F 6-2 Fortville, Ind. (Mount Vernon) 22 Bree Horrocks Fr./Fr. C 6-5 Buford, Ga (Buford) 23 Liza Clemons Sr./Sr. F 6-2 Fort Wayne, Ind. (Snider/Elmhurst) 24 Andreona Keys Fr./Fr. G 5-10 Atlanta (Roswell) 25 April Wilson Jr./Jr. G 5-7 Louisville (Manual) 32 Whitney Bays Sr./Sr. (5) F 6-2 Huntington, W. Va. (Huntington/Maryland) 43 Haley Bodnar Fr./Fr. F 6-3 Saint George, Utah (Desert Hills)