Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/405025
ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 2 79 f 'Oh, so I did something wrong obviously because I didn't get the rebound, and I'm getting yelled at for it.' " But those never-stop moments from the senior have left a deep impression on the first-year player. "Her passion motivates all of us to have the same drive," Horrocks said. "Because if we see someone out there who is obviously one of the best players on the team not caring then why, as new players, would we care to do it the right way? But with her need to do it the right way and with the amount of drive she has, it just shows us we can get there too and be in the same position she's in as far as playing time and impact." That attitude has Bays as the literal poster-child for Purdue's 2014-15 campaign. The Boilermakers are touting to not only "create the storm" but to "be the storm." They want to be the aggressor, to portray a persona as a team that won't back down, won't fear anyone. Bays has that covered. In a recent practice, Versyp got on Bays because she tried to shoot with three people on her. But Bays was battling, and she still scored. The best decision not to kick it? Probably not. But it was just another in- stance of her bringing "a little something extra," as Wisdom-Hylton calls it. "If anybody on the team I would be worried about maybe getting on the refs and getting after it and getting in somebody's face, it would be her," Wis- dom-Hylton said. "When you have some edge post players, it gives you a little different feel. She is feisty. We've had to calm her down a couple times last year for getting a technical and things. It's a blessing and a curse. "I think it's good to have that as a player, that com- petitiveness, that attitude, because you kind of need that when you're battling down there." The edge doesn't only fuel opponents' ire either. It sparks Bays' team- mates. Clemons could only think of one way to describe Bays' on-court persona: Hard. "She just goes out there and plays hard and gives it 110 percent every time — I love that about her be- cause it brings everybody else up into it," Clemons said. "When she's on the court, it's a different pres- ence, it's a different feel, it's a different atmosphere. She brings passion to the floor, and that brings every- body else up." FINAL RUN Imagine what Bays will be like this season, then, after that productive offseason? She squatted for the first time in her life — and, thus, made her legs even stronger. She spent time preparing mentally to not always use that added strength, though — and, thus, has high hopes for staying out of foul trouble. She ran the mile for the first time since she's been at Purdue — and, thus, boosted her stamina. She used the time around teammates, especially the newcomers, to build relationships — and, thus, has truly earned the captain label bestowed on her by teammates. She has every reason to think this can be the season she's been waiting for, the one that kept her pressing through the injuries, through the struggle, through the doubt. Bays believes now. And so do others. "Unbelievable," Wilson said when asked how good Bays can be. "She's been great. She's going to be a great presence for us in the post, and she'll be ready." j For daily headlines on recruiting and other Purdue sports news, check out