Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/744300
VOLUME 27, ISSUE 2 29 way, it's because he's be- ing aggressive and trying to score, but they take it away. You want to keep those instincts. That's what's made him good. Keeping him at that 2 spot and allowing him to be that combo guard, I think that helps him." Edwards is going to help Purdue. He proved as much overseas. In those four games in Spain, Edwards was the Boilermakers' sec- ond-leading scorer, be- hind only a preseason All-Big Ten player, Caleb Swanigan. In just 19 minutes per game in those exhi- bitions, Edwards scored nearly 16-and-a-half points, made 65 percent of his shots and 56 percent of his threes. "He was really good, man," Painter said. Painter used the term "instant offense" to describe the freshman's potential role should he come off the bench this season, which he would appear likely to. In whatever role he plays, Purdue will want to put him in positions to use his quick-trigger jump-shooting and team-best quickness to give it added scoring spark from the backcourt and thus added balance considering the strength in its frontcourt. "He's different. We haven't had a guy like that in a few years, a guy who can go make a play at any time, full- court, half-court it doesn't matter," said associate head coach Jack Owens, who recruited Edwards. "His passing is getting better as well. But he's a guy who can go get a basket at any time. You can be on him, and he can make a pull-up from 25 feet or he can go around you and score in the lane. "He's got it all. He just has to put it all together and do it consistently." And defend. Purdue thinks Edwards has the tools to be an effective defender pressuring the ball, but he's only now learning the intricacies of doing so at this level. And he needs to keep learning. As Purdue's only projected freshman contributor, coaches' attention have been concentrated largely on Ed- wards, since rookies tend to draw the most scrutiny on the practice floor because of their learning curve. That's clearly been an adjustment for Edwards. Scoring, however, has not been. And that's the most important part. "From an offensive standpoint, he's as good as adver- tised scoring the basketball in space," Owens said. "He's going to learn when to go, when not to go. But he's very talented. The sky's the ceiling for this kid." j Tom Campbell Coach Matt Painter is looking forward to working with an "instinctual scorer" that he has in Carsen Edwards.