GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 19 • 8
Kendall Stephens 21
G • 6-6 • So.
Whether it's injury or what,
Stephens is just not right, now
2-for-15 in the past four games
from three-point range. That's
not to say he is not contributing,
because his entry passing in the
post game is some of the best
Purdue has. But obviously Stephens wants to be
making shots and scoring. He has expanded his
game off the dribble and playing off close-outs,
but he doesn't seem quite ready yet to really make
that a huge part of his game. He has nowhere to
go but up right now, and that's encouraging for
Purdue, which is winning while one of its best
players idles.
Isaac Haas 44
C • 7-2 • Fr.
The freshman seems to have
caught his second wind, espe-
cially on offense. His presence
alone at Northwestern helped
tilt the game in Purdue's favor
as he drew so many fouls on
the Wildcats' helpless frontcourt and made a half
dozen of his eight free throw tries. He was a hope-
less matchup for Northwestern, as he is for a lot of
people. Like Hammons, he's not turning the ball
over much lately, but you'd like to see him re-
bound better. Sometimes it's just a matter for him
of getting off his blockout and just getting the ball
and securing it.
P.J. Thompson 3
G • 5-10 • Fr.
After making a handful of win-
ning plays, for lack of a better
term, against Indiana, Thompson
didn't play at Northwestern, his
first DNP of the season as Bryson
Scott has re-emerged the past
two games as the No. 2 point
guard. Against the Hoosiers, Thompson struggled
defensively against Yogi Ferrell — a lot of people
do — but took an important charge and made a
big three-pointer as soon as IU went to its 1-3-1
zone.
Basil Smotherman 5
F • 6-6 • So.
We'll say it again in case you
might have missed the first
hundred times: When Smother-
man concentrates on providing
energy, defending, rebounding,
running the floor, etc., he can
absolutely, positively help this
team. That much was so evident in his showings
against Iowa and Indiana, as he was a pivotal com-
ponent to both wins. He has really given Purdue
some punch in transition offense, an area this
team is not exactly constructed to thrive in, and
he's generating offense off defense. He has been
outstanding lately, but needs to continue taking
to heart what has led to this success.
Bryson Scott 1
G • 6-1 • So.
The story of the IU game, Scott
seemed to be almost brought
to tears after collecting dust on
the bench for most of the Big Ten
season, then coming out and not
just playing well, but starring, in a
leading role against the Hoosiers.
When he fouled out after scoring 11 points with
six boards in 22 minutes, he was embraced by
everyone on the bench, Matt Painter included,
great theater amidst one of the great single-game
stories of this season to date. But there are no
long-term guarantees here. He was benched for
reasons he must continue to be wary of at every
turn.
Jon Octeus 0
G • 6-4 • Sr.
The senior point guard
scored double figures in
eight straight games, then
just seven total in the wins
over Iowa and Indiana,
though that hardly matters
considering how much of
his value lies in areas aside
from scoring. But the 14 points he bounced back
with at Northwestern were a shot in the arm for
Purdue, though he did it on just 3-of-9 shooting,
atypical for him. Any time you get 8-of-10 foul
shooting and seven rebounds from the point
guard position, as Purdue did against the Wild-
cats, that's a very good thing. It was a solid show-
ing for Octeus, who seemed like the one guy
who didn't respond all that well to the raucous
environment for the Indiana game, turning it
over three times is just 16 foul-plagued minutes.
Dakota Mathias 31
G • 6-4 • Fr.
Mathias' solid play has
been so crucial for Purdue,
serving as a bridge of
sorts over Kendall Ste-
phens' profound struggles
lately, whether they're
injury-related or not. The
Boilermakers unavoidably
need more from Stephens but the freshman's
presence, even if he's not making shots, is
covering up what might otherwise be a gap-
ing void. You have to think — and this is Matt
Painter's hope — that before long the shots
Mathias and Stephens are missing will start
to fall, and that hope represents some real
up-side for this team. In the meantime, Math-
ias is a really good decision-maker and passer
and he's improving defensively every game.
A.J. Hammons 20
C • 7-0 • Jr.
Don't look now, but Ham-
mons is starting to round
into the form Purdue
hoped beyond hope it
would see from him this
season. He looks like a
vastly different player
than he did just a month
ago. He's exponentially more efficient on
offense, he's been as turnover-free as he's
ever been in his career — just two over the
past four games, which is almost unbeliev-
able for him — and he's changing games
as a shot-blocker, which is nothing new. It is
no coincidence at all that his best basketball
of the season has lined up with his team's
best basketball. The next step for him is to
dominate the glass, where Purdue has been
strangely deficient of late.
Rapheal Davis 35
F • 6-5 • Jr.
There's a lot of season left,
but if this keeps up, the
junior is going to be All-Big
Ten and maybe even the
league's Defensive Player-
of-the-Year. While Ham-
mons has raised his level
of play to the highest of his
career, so has his classmate, in every phase of
the game. He's Purdue's best defensive player
and in his last four games he's averaging 18
points on 55-percent shooting, 64 percent
from three-point range, with four turnovers
in 148 minutes. It's been just a remarkable
run for the Boilermakers' unquestioned
leader.
Vince Edwards 12
F • 6-7 • Fr.
The freshman hasn't quite
been the same player dur-
ing conference play that
he was in non-conference,
but you're seeing flashes
lately and Purdue's in a
different situation because
Basil Smotherman has
played well in the past three games, so it
can win without Edwards producing at a
very high level. Still, Edwards did some good
things against Indiana, then was excellent at
Northwestern, scoring on post-ups and mak-
ing a much-needed three. He's not shot the
ball well lately, so that triple was big for him.
Purdue needs him to rebound at a higher
level, though.
Gold and Black's Men's Hoops Lineup
The
Starters
The
Reserves
The
Deep
Bench
Jacquil Taylor 23
F • 6-10 • Fr.
Neal Beshears 30
F • 6-7 • Sr.
Anfernee Brown 24
G • 6-1 • So.
Jon McKeeman 2
G • 6-1 • Jr.
Stephen Toyra 11
G • 6-3 • Jr.
–Brian Neubert
For
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