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62 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED Matt Painter and his staff recruited the 6-foot-9, 260-pound big man for a different sort of role than the other programs who recruited him, that list essentially equating to "everyone" for a player who chose the Boiler- makers over offers from Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke, Arizona and myriad others. At Purdue, Swanigan is expected to play the 4, the "power forward" position and the spot occupied last sea- son by Edwards, who did enough to look like a budding standout from Day 1 of his college career. Should Swanigan step into that role primarily, it's ex- pected — and coaches have communicated this plan to Edwards — that he'd log more minutes on the wing, at the 3/small forward position occupied lately by captain and Big Ten Defensive Player-of-the-Year Davis. So what happens with the starting lineup? Painter will undoubtedly say it doesn't matter much who starts, but rather who finishes, but the two may be one in the same. If Swanigan moves into the leading role at the 4 and Edwards slides to the 3, does that move Davis back to the 2? Regardless of who starts where, the unavoidable re- sult is starter-caliber players and potential standouts coming off the bench, therein lying the good problem to have. "It just makes practice more competitive," Mathias said. "On teams where the starters aren't really getting pushed by the guys who don't start, you're not getting much better." Mathias made his case this summer for a leading role, considered widely to be the team's most improved player. "I think Kendall, when he gets it going, is hard to stop, but I was really shocked by Dakota," Hill said of Purdue's shooting guard tandem. "It's hard to guard him. I tried to guard him in open gym. I think he can get his shot off whenever." Edwards, for his part, seems better equipped for a move to the wing than he might have been right away as a college player. The 6-8 forward is noticeably bigger and clearly more athletic. More than once this summer, Edwards — never before renowned for his leaping ability — dribbled end-to-end for emphatic dunks. His lift now appears much more effortless than it did before, giving the look of a player who's improved ath- letically. "In open gyms," Mathias said, "I see him do things I've never seen him do before." Edwards said Purdue's loss to Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament stuck with him, motivating him for the off- season. He credits his father, former Wright State star Bill Ed- wards; older brothers Darius and Bill Jr.; and team sports performance coach Josh Bonhotal for helping him make those athletic and physical strides, preparing him for a different role. As Purdue's 4 man last season, he was used to switch- ing onto more difficult defensive matchups. Painter has his team switch screens at every position but center, so Edwards often found himself facing guards. "I have to be ready for anything at the 3 spot," Edwards said. "I'm used to switching onto quicker guards. Now I might be starting off on quicker guards. "I know I'm ready for the 3 … especially if Coach Painter thinks that's what's best for this team. He knows what's right for us." j