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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5 64 secutive seasons with a postseason berth — 20 NCAA Tournament ap- pearances and a WNIT bid (in 2009- 10) — come to an end. To get going on the right track again, Coach Sharon Versyp says Pur- due needs to change its culture and she plans to instill a new one in three steps: By making the Boilermakers a better conditioned team; by being mentally and physically tougher; and by playing for each other. "Those are the three things that we have always done for the last eight years," said Versyp, who is entering her 10th season at the helm of her alma mater, "and this year for what- ever reason, maybe because of the things that just kept snowballing, we couldn't recover and then everything was kind of trying to piece things to- gether and it didn't happen." Wilson says the falloff was a grad- ual process, with the Boilermak- ers' collective attitude dropping as the losses mounted. And the way in which Purdue frequently lost — by losing leads late and not being able to make game-changing plays in the final minutes — was suffocat- ing. Of course, the Boilermakers were blown out frequently down the stretch, as well, losing three games over a four-game stretch by at least 29 points. "I wouldn't say it (happened) all at once," Wilson said, "but one bad thing would happen and attitudes would change. It could never get re- covered because I felt like after ev- ery loss, our attitudes would change and get worse." Now, Purdue will have to try to get better while getting younger. The Boilermakers lose their top two post players, in leading scorer and rebounder Whitney Bays and fellow forward Liza Clemons, who ranked third and second in those catego- ries. It makes the Boilermakers thin in the frontcourt. But nine others return — fresh- man forward Haley Bodnar, who missed last season with injury, de- cided to transfer — including the backcourt of Wilson and top-re- turning scorer Ashley Morrissette. Having healthy Bridget Perry and Andreona Keys on the wing will be beneficial. Plus, Purdue gets the addition of a four-player recruiting class that ranks as one of the top-10 in the country. Those rookies, particularly for- Pieces Of The Rebuild Ashley Morrissette The junior guard is Purdue's top returning scor- er, after averaging 11 points per game last sea- son. But Morrissette could stand to be more efficient, shooting only 36 percent from the field and less than 26 percent from three-point range. Perhaps her effort down the stretch — she hit 19 of 37 in the last four games (51 percent), averaging 11.3 points per game — is a harbinger of improvement to come. Sharon Versyp Entering her 10th season at Purdue, Versyp will be given the opportunity to get the Boiler- makers back on the right track. She's had suc- cess before, with two Elite Eights in her first three seasons in West Lafayette, plus four Big Ten Tournament titles during her tenure. But twice in the last six seasons the Boilermakers have failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Are they trending the wrong way? Drawing in better talent is key; maybe this freshman class is a start. Dominique McBryde Speaking of … McBryde, one of the four fresh- men that make up a top-10 recruiting class nationally, will likely have a big role in the fall. Purdue needs her to score from the front- court — she'll likely play a stretch 4, much like Whitney Bays and Drey Mingo before — and rebound. Significantly. Too much to ask? With few solidified post options, McBryde will get an immediate opportunity. Can she be aggressive enough? That might be the biggest question.