Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/515571
GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 28 • 11 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com Jon Octeus might have been the most important piece to Purdue's sudden turnaround last season, not because he was the team's best player but because of where that team might have been without the stable presence and productive influence he brought to the Boilermakers' most questioned position, point guard. Now, Purdue is hoping Johnny Hill can re-write the Octeus story, or at least come close. With point guard again wide open — only sophomore P.J. Thompson returns at the position — Purdue signed the one-year transfer from Texas-Arlington to at worst give it an experienced option at the crucial position or at best solidify it altogether. "Overall, I just feel like he fits with our program," Coach Matt Painter said after signing the Chicago native. "He's a good person, a hard-working guy, a competitive guy and those things are really i m p o r t a n t , because this is a different t r a n s i t i o n . You are who you are with these fifth- year transfers and you don't have time for development as you would as a freshman in college or even a junior college. ... This is such a quick t r a n s i t i o n that his e x p e r i e n c e and his maturity will really help him. "He's going to get compared across the board to Jon Octeus. He just is. He's long, he's a point and he has a lot of qualities as a person that match Jon's and that's a great sign for us. It's such an important part of the equation in this quick transition." The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Hill began his college career at Illinois State but transferred, a move he later came to regret, an admission that showed Purdue a measure of self-awareness that endeared him to the Boilermaker coach. "No question, (that was a draw)," Painter said. "It's a very competitive business, whether it's M E N ' S BA S K E T BA L L : N E W S A N D N OT E S UTA Johnny Hill, who played a season at UT-Arlington, came to Purdue hoping for a trip to the NCAA Tournament. vertime PURDUE ROUNDS OUT ROSTER DURING HUGE SPRING PROJECTED 2015-16 ROSTER No. Player Pos. Year Height Weight Hometown/Last School 1 Johnny Hill G Sr. (5) 6-2 190 Chicago/Texas-Arlington 2 Jon McKeeman G Sr. 6-1 175 Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll 3 P.J. Thompson G So. 5-11 160 Indianapolis/Brebeuf 5 Basil Smotherman F Jr. 6-5 220 Indianapolis/Lawrence North 11 Stephen Toyra G Sr. 6-3 175 Lafayette, Ind./Faith Christian 12 Vince Edwards F So. 6-7 210 Middletown, Ohio/Middletown 14 Ryan Cline G Fr. 6-5 190 Carmel, Ind./Carmel 20 A.J. Hammons C Sr. 7-0 270 Gary, Ind./Oak Hill Academy (Va.) 21 Kendall Stephens G Jr. 6-5 185 St. Charles, Ill./East 22 Grant Weatherford G Fr. 6-2 195 Cicero, Ind./Hamilton Heights 23 Jacquil Taylor! F R-Fr. 6-9 220 Cambridge, Mass./Beaver Country Day 31 Dakota Mathias G So. 6-5 190 Elida, Ohio/Elida 35 Rapheal Davis F/G Sr. 6-5 211 Fort Wayne, Ind./LaLumiere School 44 Isaac Haas C So. 7-2 270 Piedmont, Ala./Hokes Bluff 50 Caleb Swanigan F Fr. 6-9 260 Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead — Grady Eifert# F Fr. 6-6 190 Fort Wayne, Ind./Don Bosco Prep # Incoming walk-on. Number unknown as of press time ! Awaiting an NCAA eligibility waiver confirming his status as a redshirt freshman rather than a sophomore.