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12 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 3 f If players get in trouble, Painter advises, don't compound the problem. "(Accept) a 10-second call," says Painter, who'll take a dead-ball turnover every time over a live-ball giveaway. "Don't throw a helium ball (to be stolen)." Painter wants to use Samford's press against it. "When we get a basket," Painter says, "jam their guards (defensively). They just jammed you. Wear them out." The important part is making the basket, though. "If we make field goals and set our defense," Painter said, "they can't set up their press." Purdue wants easy baskets, maybe dunks for its big men. Owens urges them to run to the rim. "Sprint," he says. It'll be a quality first test of Purdue's young, or new, ball-handlers' poise and decision-making, a good first test for the new-look Boilermakers in general, a challenge that they're here on this day to prepare for. On the eve of the season, Gold and Black chronicled Purdue's final practice in advance of game day. I t's 2:30 p.m. and film has let out, players and coaches having now spilled out onto Keady Court for practice. Many days, Purdue uses its practice gym, Cardinal Court, but today it'll be practicing on the floor it'll be playing on. Sports performance graduate assistant coach Gavin Roberts oversees stretching, lots of jogging-type stuff. Assistant coach Greg Gary is using an onlooker's porta- ble phone charger to illustrate a lane while explaining a UCLA cut. Painter is chatting with guests at practice. The practice starts with post-feed work, about three-quar- ter speed, as much walk-thru as repetition. This is a staple of Purdue practice, but not the same thing every day. "Here we go," Painter says as the players around him snap out of listening mode and start running what they just walked through. Using a blueprint he learned in large part from the head coaches he's worked or played for — Tom Reiter, Gene Keady, Bruce Weber, most notably — Painter compartmen- talizes practices to teach the game "in parts." First comes press work. Samford will press 94 feet and Purdue has to be ready. Owens takes one group to one end. Assistant coach- es Brandon Brantley and Gary take the rest to the other. Painter floats in the middle, leaning against the scorer's table partition, looking only partially engaged in practice only to frequently throw out detailed instructions based on what's going on in front of him, proving he is very much engaged. Sneakers are squeaking and voices are chirping, "Ball, ball, ball" as players take turns badgering one another to simulate defensive pressure and quick closeouts. Larry Clisby is at practice, telling onlookers about a World War II documentary he'd just seen. "They had 5,000 people in one town commit suicide be- fore the Allies landed," the Boilermakers' radio voice says. "That's amazing, man, amazing numbers." Elliot Bloom, Purdue's supervisor of basketball opera- tions and Clisby's primary audience at the moment, makes a phone call and walks off. Tom Campbell Purdue's practices are renowned for their physicality, whether it's rebound- ing competitions, post work or their defense-heavy drillwork.