Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/592932
84 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED Versyp: "Yeah, and that was a weakness last year, but there was a reason why we couldn't push the ball. But this year, we're getting it and going. We want to push on makes, misses. We had a really small lineup when we played Ger- many overseas and that was a fun, fun lineup, it was awe- some. But we had other lineups that we could go big and still run. We have to rebound and go. But the biggest thing is rebounding. I think that's an area of weakness that we have to really focus on, defensively and offensively, collec- tively, that's going to make or break us this year." Q. Is that a takeaway from the trip: Re- bounding? Versyp: "Yeah, that's a takeaway from the trip. You look at so many people who played so many minutes (last season) and that was their bread-and-butter, we lost re- bounding, offensively and defensively. It's been everybody's minutes for so many years, so now we've got to collectively be able to do that. "We did that very well when Sam (Ostarello) and Drey (Mingo) left, we had other people come in and do it, but we have to do it a lot more collectively. It is an emphasis and obviously one of the games — the other games we did pretty decent — but the Cameroon team, they were so dang quick it didn't matter what we did. We could have laid down and tripped them, and they still would have gotten the ball. "But it was eye-opening. They knew we could still win. We were scoring points and our defense prevailed but we laugh about it now, because it didn't matter, but dang. That was a good teaching point, but it's what being overseas was all about." Q: Any changes defensively? Versyp: "Yeah, just a lot more intense. Last year we had to play a lot of zone because certain people were in- jured. We're in your face (now). Point guards have got to start it and then it just makes everybody else rise and we can front down low with our small ones, play behind with our big ones, but pressure the basketball more than we did last year. "The year before, we really pressured the ball, so kind of getting back to those things (is important). We'll full-court press when we need to and play 2-3 (zone), but I'd like to get back to our 1 (man) defense with certain lineups, be- cause it can cause problems, especially if you have length and are athletic. Defense was the key to how we were suc- cessful overseas. "April averaged like six steals a game, and Ashley and Keys (did well, too). Just teaching that you're not the one who is going to steal the basketball, it's the next pass. I think them understanding where the steal is coming from, that's part of the teaching we're trying to instill." Q. Where do you see these freshmen fitting in? Versyp: "They really haven't played a game yet. Nora (Kiesler) was very limited with her ankle. She got in a few times, but she's just so cerebral and you coach her once and she gets it. Everybody is excited to play with her and she's a very good passer, knows how to seal. She can score the ball, is still working with coming off an injury, just bal- ance and that type of thing, but what she does so much more is the intangibles. It just helps our team tremendous- ly when she's out on the floor. We have to work on defense, rebounding, those things, but I think she can make a big impact when we're going against size, no question. She seals and knows how to post, use her body, better than any- one on our team as a freshman. "Dominique (McBryde), she can do amazing things. She's got to stay healthy, got to get her health back. Be- cause what we did in Germany — I knew what she was capable of doing, but the team got to see what she's capable of doing — and they're like, 'Wow.' "(Tiara) Murphy, she's got to learn the physicality, the intensity of the game. She's great when you sit down and talk Xs and Os, she gets it. But she has a lot to learn as a point guard. Her offensive ability is fun; when she gets in a rhythm, it's over, just give her the ball because she can shoot exceptionally well. But her having the ball in her hands really sets up other people and she can shoot. She has to work on the defensive end and the mindset of having to defend and knowing she has to play as hard defensively as offensively, like most point guards and most freshmen." Q. You need the rookies to … Versyp: "That's our depth. You can't go through these types of seasons without having depth. You see the teams that are advancing, they're not playing six or seven kids and we were down to barely six last year. You've got to have