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30 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED for the fourth time in as many years may fall short — Io- wa's Jarrod Uthoff averages 2.9 to Hammons' 2.6 — that doesn't change the fact that Hammons might be college basketball's pre-eminent rim-protector and still has a chance to leave Purdue as its all-time blocks leader. Numbers are one thing. The results are another. There have been games where Hammons hasn't just looked the part of the best center in college basketball, but maybe the best player on select nights, like against Nebraska, when he scored a career-high 32 on 14-of-17 shooting, dunking everything within reason. Considering his impact at both ends of the floor, a case can be made he's been a top-10 player in all of college hoops this season. Again, it's been an arduous process. "He cost us games early in his career," Painter said. "There's no question about that. But we didn't have a deep squad and he wasn't ready to play every single day when he got here. A lot of people don't understand that." But … "We committed to him and we thought playing through his mistakes and growing, he could be the player that he is today, where he's capable of dominating at both ends." And, now, a prime professional prospect, questions aside. Hammons is huge, a 250-some-pound legit 7-footer with endless length, who runs like a player half his size, explodes off the floor to dunk and block shots, rebounds now with ferocity and now scores with his back to the basket like a 20-year pro or rains effortless jumpers from 18 feet. When the NBA looks at him as a prospect, as a physi- cal commodity, there is almost nothing to not like, aside from the 23-year-old's age, which makes him practically geriatric in the boys' world of draft hopefuls. He is the prototypical professional center prospect, a convergence of both new-age and old-school variety. Since his arrival at Purdue, he has transformed, in more ways than one. And, he says, he's not done. "If I was a finished product, it would be crazy what I could do," Hammons said. "Just ridiculous. I don't think I'm even close to building my abilities yet." j PURDUE LEathER CoLLECtion Gold and Black • 2605 Yeager Road • West Lafayette, IN 47906 • 1-800-876-4678 Visit the store at GoldandBlackDigital.com for this and other great Purdue Fan items! Great Gift Ideas! Items are shipped direct from manufacturer. Please allow time for processing and delivery. #7540 Rucksack $249 + $20 S&H #7544 Padholder $60 + $20 S&H #7543 Briefcase $249 + $20 S&H Available in Black or Tan #7542 Large Duffel $329 + $20 S&H #7541 Duffel $279 + $20 S&H We are pleased to offer these fine leather items for Purdue alumni, undergrads and fans. The classic styling and quality will last for many years to come. Please add sales tax if you live in IN (7%)