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76 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED to rebound. I don't care if they each have four, I don't care. But Bree and Nora and Erica have to rebound the basketball. I'm telling them they have to be rebounders, screeners, passers, then you score the ball." Horrocks, who is likely to get a chance to start this season, knows that her playing time likely will hinge on her effectiveness on the glass. Lateral movement was a bit of a problem last season, being able to quickly adjust to track a loose ball, so she's worked on it a lot during the offseason. That's helped her during the extensive rebounding drills the Boilermakers are working during practice. "I think we spend 45 minutes on rebounding drills alone, then you have to add in that rebounding is a part of everything else that you do, too," Horrocks. "You put up a shot, you better go rebound. You're playing five- on-five, you need to rebound. It works into everything." But Horrocks thinks Purdue might be able to score from the post more than many are anticipating. The three options, she says, offer a different skill set that opponents might struggle to adjust to. "(Opponents) are going to have to use their cog- nitive resources to remember what each of us does because we're all completely different," she said. "I love running the court, love going baseline-to-baseline, so I'm going to be the first off the line to go. And Erica has her spin move and Nora has her hook shot. I have mine, as well. They're going to have to be constantly thinking and at some point in the game, they're not going to remember what each one of us does and that's when it will come in handy." Purdue might need that kind of unexpected production. The Boiler- makers have a steep climb, hoping to get back from deep in the Big Ten to competing again near the top. But they think they can make strides by changing the culture and bringing more energy. "I feel like last year, we didn't even realize that we weren't bring- ing energy," said Thornton, a cap- tain. "It just kind of got to the point where it was over our heads. Now this year, with an emphasis on it, it's so much more (energy), it's al- most like it's 10 times more than in the past because we have that much more to make up for. Definitely the energy level in anything — work- outs, basketball, whatever it is — is creating completely a different cul- ture." j BURNING QUESTIONS How far is reasonable? Purdue wants to make a jump up the Big Ten standings this season after its last-place finish. But that won't be easy. Maryland is the consensus front-runner after it went 34-3 last season, undefeated in the Big Ten, and advanced to its second straight Final Four. At media day, both coaches and media picked Ohio State second; the coaches thought Michigan State would finish third while the media had Northwestern. Where does Purdue fit? It'd like to finish in the top half, but after those top four, Iowa, Minnesota, Rutgers, Ne- braska and Michigan should vie for spots. Perhaps the Boiler- makers jump into that next slot at No. 10. Who rebounds? It won't just fall to Purdue's posts to have to pick up the slack left by the graduations of Whitney Bays and Liza Clemons. It's going to take everyone. But the Boilermaker 5 players — Bree Horrocks, Erica Moore and Nora Kiesler — have to carry their fair share, combining for an average of about a dozen per game. But Purdue will play small, with a stretch 4 who will frequently be out on the perimeter, so it'll need glass contributors from each position. If Purdue can't play even on the glass, then it could be an exceedingly long season. Does Purdue shoot better? It needs to. The Boilermak- ers' shooting percentage (.392) last season was the program's lowest since 2009-10, when they averaged only 59.7 points per game. The 26-percent three-point shooting was the sec- ond-lowest in school history, dating back to 1988-89 when Pur- due made only 23.5 percent, although back then it had only 81 attempts. Since the Boilermakers will be more guard-reliant this season, it's imperative they see a major uptick. They say they've improved, but only games will tell. — Kyle Charters