GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 24 • 10
Basil Smotherman 5
F • 6-6 • So.
Easily overlooked in Purdue's
game-changing run spanning
the end of the first half and start
of the second against Illinois is
the fact that it was Smotherman
who helped keep the Boilermak-
ers afloat when they might other-
wise have been completely sunk. His five first-half
points — on a putback and a prudently chosen
three-pointer — were so important, because Illi-
nois was threatening to completely run away with
the game at that time. Smotherman's not been as
consistent as would be ideal this season playing a
backup and sometimes limited role, but when he
has been good, he has been very good.
Kendall Stephens 21
G • 6-6 • So.
Purdue lost at Michigan State but
on at least one front, it got some-
thing it had been waiting a long
time for. Stephens finally broke
loose, making 5-of-8 threes in
scoring a team-best 16. It capped
a three-game run in which he
was 8-of-18, a welcomed sight after he's struggled
with injuries and confidence most of the Big Ten
season. But just when you think the potentially
critical piece for Purdue has turned a corner: 0-for-3
with three turnovers in 12 minutes against Illinois.
We'll see what happens in the postseason. Like
Matt Painter said, if he could just have back-to-back
good games ...
Isaac Haas 44
C • 7-2 • Fr.
The freshman has taken a back-
seat to Hammons during Big
Ten play, as 90 percent of the big
men in the country would have,
but has been so productive in
his limited time, particularly on
the glass and in racking up fouls
on opponents. Foul shooting is going to be so
important to his long-term productivity at Purdue.
Considering how many non-shooting fouls he
draws on opponents just trying to wrestle him,
he's going to shoot a million one-and-ones before
his time in West Lafayette is over.
P.J. Thompson 3
G • 5-10 • Fr.
No one could have seen this
coming. In Purdue's biggest,
most implications-filled game of
the season, it was the freshman
guard who came off the bench
— after not so much as leaving
it for two straight games — and
emerged as the Boilermakers' catalyst. He scored
seven points on three shots, handed out two
assists and grabbed three steals in 14 turnover-
free minutes against the Illini, sparking the home
team's run with a steal and bucket. In nine games
prior, Thompson sat out four of them altogether
and played a total of 31 minutes in the other five.
Bryson Scott 1
G • 6-1 • So.
Scott has weaved in and out
of that No. 2 point guard role
with Thompson all season, but
seemed to have it to himself late-
ly. He might have been surprised
as anyone when Thompson's
number was called in the first half
against the Illini, but it would be hard for anyone
to question the move considering the result. He
was shaky in 15 minutes at Michigan State, with a
preventable turnover that led to a Spartan layup,
a miss on an over-aggressive attack after his own
steal and at least one instance in which Travis Trice
was allowed too much space beyond the arc and
Purdue paid for it.
Jon Octeus 0
G • 6-4 • Sr.
It's been said and writ-
ten over and over, but in
light of the senior's (likely)
Mackey Arena farewell, it
bears repeating: Where
would Purdue be without
him? Somewhere very
different, that's for sure. He
has been a very good player for the Boiler-
makers at a position of need, but just as im-
portantly a very positive, badly needed influ-
ence. His temperament, experience, wisdom
and professional approach have been great
for a young team and a nice complement
to Rapheal Davis' more emotional, visceral
persona.
Dakota Mathias 31
G • 6-4 • Fr.
After a three-game run
in which he made 9-of-
16 three-pointers, the
freshman guard made
just 1-of-5 against Illinois,
but played his usual role
as one of Purdue's most
important glue players on
offense, doing so through an apparent minor
ankle injury late in the first half. The freshman
has come a long, long way since the non-
conference season, same as his team has, and
he seems positioned to develop into a very
good player for the Boilermakers. He's im-
proved significantly at both ends of the floor.
A.J. Hammons 20
C • 7-0 • Jr.
The Michigan State game
was Hammons' worst of
the Big Ten season, even
more forgettable than
Maryland. He was 3-of-12
and just not his usual self.
The Spartans pounded on
him, and were allowed to,
and it affected the Boilermaker big man. Les-
son learned, perhaps. He rebounded against
Illinois after a listless beginning to finish with
16 and 10, making 5-of-7 shots. Purdue's
much-improved center has at least one first-
team All-Big Ten vote — ours — to show for
his outstanding conference season.
Rapheal Davis 35
F • 6-5 • Jr.
After his team fell behind
by more than a dozen in
the first half, Davis came
out clearly driven in the
second half, with a dif-
ferent kind of offensive
aggressiveness, almost as if
he were uncharacteristical-
ly shot-hunting in hopes of carrying Purdue
to a win it had to have. It worked. Davis
scored 17 of his 18 points after halftime. Had
his eagerness not paid off, it might have been
regrettable, but it did and the result was a far
cry from his non-factor showing at Michigan
State, which seemed to key on stopping him.
His penchant for beating the shot clock with
clutch shots has been uncanny and so valu-
able for Purdue this season.
Vince Edwards 12
F • 6-7 • Fr.
The freshman hasn't
scored or rebounded in
Big Ten play near like he
did in non-conference
play, but he certainly has
his moments where the
punch he gives Purdue
offensively is really im-
portant. He scored just three points against
Illinois, but contributed to the Boilermakers'
second half run with its first bucket of the half
and a couple of impressive assists. You'd like
to see his offensive rebounding pick back up
to early-season levels and for his all-around
defense to improve, but Edwards' unique skill
set is going to be a foundation for Purdue for
years to come.
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.
Jon McKeeman 2
G • 6-1 • Jr.
Stephen Toyra 11
G • 6-3 • Jr.
— Brian Neubert
For
Season
Stats Click
Here
