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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 26, ISSUE 3 19 ailed Purdue during its brief rut. Assistant coach Greg Gary got the Boilermakers in early on Mathias and Purdue made him such a priority that it used most of its allotted evaluation tokens on him before the spring fol- lowing his junior season had even ended, hoping an initial all-out re- cruiting offensive would lead to an early commitment from the highly skilled guard. After Purdue got him on campus for a springtime official visit — most prospects take such visits in the fall of their senior year — the plan paid off. If there is one player on Purdue's roster now who was recruited in di- rect response to prior deficiencies, it's Mathias. A year later, with Stephens already on campus and Mathias coming in be- hind him, Purdue had two highly re- garded shooters on campus long-term. But with Painter's mandate in mind, Purdue couldn't pass up on the chance to sign Cline. "I think (Painter) was one of the few guys who sees me as more than just a shooter," Cline said. "He sees the other aspects of my game, and that's a part of the reason I wanted to come here, too." Yes, but suffice to say that if Cline wasn't what Painter considered to be "the best shooter in the Midwest," as the coach called him after signing him, he might have taken a pass. But the goal was to stockpile shoot- ing, and that's exactly what has been done. THE 2014 CLASS Purdue needed players. But it also needed substance. The 2014 freshman class, to a man, provided both. Haas, Edwards and Thompson are all starters currently and Mathias started about half his freshman sea- son. Haas has arguably been Purdue's best and most influential player this season, Edwards is a budding standout and Thompson would be considered the clear-cut most improved player on the team if not for his two classmates' marked strides. Mathias is a crucial piece to this team now and Purdue's future to come. Little is needed of redshirt fresh- man big man Jacquil Taylor at this point, but his practice-floor work ethic has been valued and his day as a con- tributor may come one day soon. But as important as these players have been as, well, players, they've been as important as people, team- mates and personalities. They have been central in the cul- tural shift that has transpired within Purdue's walls. Davis led that shift, without ques- tion. Without his leadership, all that Purdue has accomplished in the past 12 months may not have been possi- ble. But the 2014 class was exactly what Purdue needed exactly when it needed it, in myriad ways. It was no accident, either. Thompson puts a face on it. Purdue needed a point guard in the spring of 2014, yes, but it took Thomp- son not out of dire need, but also be- cause of the intangibles it knew he would bring, the competitiveness, the intelligence, the toughness, the schooling it saw in him while recruit- ing him for four years before deciding to offer a scholarship. Purdue knew what it would be getting in him, be- cause it knew him. Thompson's father is a coach. His family is a basketball family through and through. Same for Edwards. And you can meet no bigger hoops addict than Mathias. It didn't just work out that way. It was a measured strategy, one that is paying off today. "The culture piece is the biggest piece, because we always felt like we had enough talent to compete and win in the Big Ten," associate head coach Jack Owens said. "But to have the culture and the talent in place, that's been the big turnaround. There's been an emphasis on taking more Purdue guys who (Painter) can coach, to be honest with you, trying to locate guys we feel are going to do what we ask, but also love the game of basketball. "We were counting heads one day and almost half our guys, their dads are coaches in some capacity, wheth- er it's high school or AAU. You know they've been around the game, they love the game and they know that with the talent we have, we can be as good as we work." PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT Once the culture changed, it snow- balled. There's not a program in college basketball that doesn't put a premium on player development, but ultimately, it's up to the players to actually do it. Davis has transformed as a play- er, from a turnstile defender to the Big Ten Defensive Player-of-the-Year, from a deficient shooter to an effective one. Hammons, though his "motor" may never run full-throttle endlessly, has improved significantly, both phys- ically and mentally in addition to the refinement of his skills. Edwards morphed almost seam- lessly into the outstanding wing he is now. Haas improved his conditioning