GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5 14
BY STACY CLARDIE
SClardie@GoldandBlack.com
W
hen Darrell Hazell was roam-
ing the sidelines during
Purdue's spring-capping game in
mid-April, he noticed the players
were mixing laughing with break-
ing down plays, were focusing but
not acting stressed.
Hazell felt a relaxed, comfortable
vibe from the Boilermakers in his
third spring as head coach. That's
a natural but necessary progression
with experience building for players
in their third year in the system,
Hazell said.
"I think they're better in un-
derstanding the schemes. I think
they're better in the energy they
play with. I think they're a lot more
focused than they've ever been. I
just think they're so much more
comfortable and more calm," he
said. "Before they were just so fran-
tic. But they're a lot more calm right
now than they've been the past two
years.
"I think it's experience. It's know-
ing better what their assignments
are, having confidence in one an-
other. You don't feel like you have
to do someone else's job. There's a
bunch of ingredients that go into
that."
So, though Purdue didn't answer
all the questions it had entering
spring by the end of its 15 practices,
Hazell still liked the steps his pro-
gram made.
His hopes of the team becoming
"smarter, faster, more confident"
Tom Campbell
Darrell Hazell's third spring wrapped
with the head coach feeling more com-
fortable with the Boilermakers' general
knowledge of schemes, energy and
focus.
A New Vibe
Relaxed,
focused
Boilermakers
have
productive
spring
