Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/470008
GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 4 6 A.J. Hammons Boiler Index: Smoking As soon as Hammons flipped the switch — permanently this time? — so did the Boilermakers, getting hot enough to make a run toward the NCAA Tournament. The 7-footer is now a consistent defensive eraser, staying out of foul trouble and being a nuisance to anyone who comes close to the paint. If Purdue makes the Dance, it'll be because of big No. 20. Steele Johnson Boiler Index: Steaming The rookie diver might never reach the historic lev- els of his Purdue predecessor, David Boudia, but he's off to a good start. As of February, the Olympic hopeful — and Purdue freshman — had claimed six Big Ten Diver- of-the-Week awards, the most since Boudia won nine in 2010-11. The two are shooting for Olympic synchronized gold, too. Volleyball Boiler Index: Smoldering Purdue might have missed the NCAA Tournament last season, snubbed by the selec- tion committee, but it's hard to consider the Boilermakers down. It helps that Coach Dave Shondell is bringing in another great class, headlined by MaxPreps 2014 National Player-of-the-Year Alexa Smith, an outside hitter from Monument, Colo. HAVING FUN AGAIN? A re better days returning for Purdue's football and men's basketball teams? All you have to do is look at the first seven pages of this magazine and you might think so. After all, when you talk football recruiting, hope always springs eternal. Purdue's Class of 2015 couldn't have two better young men as its headliners than Markell Jones and Elijah Sindelar. From all ac- counts, they are talented guys on the field, but equally impressive off. They evoke a feeling of prom- ise, guys who just might help turn Purdue's football fortunes around. You get sense of self-confi- dence and even a dash of adven- ture when you hang around them for any amount of time. After all, Jones flies airplanes and Sindelar doesn't give a second thought to taking on Purdue's engineering curriculum. Both guys just want to get things done; not to talk about it much, but get things done. They give you the feeling things will be better for Purdue football during their tenure. Fans will smile at the images on Pages 4-7. Wins against good Indiana teams in Assembly Hall are as rare for Purdue as IU winning back-to- back Bucket games on the football field. And that is rare, folks. The win in Bloomington in men's basketball on Feb. 19 was big on so many fronts. A dramatic victory on the rivals' court couldn't help but wake everyone around the athlet- ic department up, re-introducing them to the feeling of exhilara- tion that comes with a win of that magnitude. Even members of the football staff. "A win like that effects all of us positively," offensive coordinator John Shoop said in an interview on 'Gold and Black LIVE' the fol- lowing day. "We can all build on this." Speaking of building on things, we hope you enjoy our brushed- up design. We worked on giving photos a little more impact and varied the layout a bit. There are also features, like the Boiler In- dex, that will give the magazine a little different feel and maybe add a little more life. But nothing brings me more to life than Kyle Charters' story on Henry Dukes on Pages 50-51. A win over Indiana and the promise of a new recruiting class has its place. Yet, the ability of one per- son to bring light to others the way Henry can is another. Thanks, Henry, for reminding us all how we best do this thing called life. Boiler Index From Publisher Alan Karpick 6 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED Photos by Tom Campbell (Hammons, Johnson)