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VOLUME 27, ISSUE 2 7 CULTURE CHANGE I t is all about culture. Go to any story written about the most successful businesses and organizations, and culture is the buzzword at the forefront. Everyone is trying to improve it from one year to the next. It's no different for coaches Matt Painter and Sha- ron Versyp, who have endured periods where the culture of their programs wasn't exactly what they wanted. For Painter, it was back-to-back rough seasons in 2013 and 2014, and for Versyp it came a year later. Yes, re-evalu- ation of culture is one of the gifts, if that is the correct word, of losing bigger than one could have imagined as both Painter and Versyp experienced during their down- turns. It caused each coach to re-evaluate priorities on and off the court. What tweaks could be made to turn things around? What needed to be done to get the energy and focus re-aligned? All were questions they had to ponder. Both the men's and women's teams have refined their cultures to the extent that culture is not an issue heading into the 2016-17 season. That is a good sign for fans of both programs. Because the culture is already in place, expectations can be communicated with a strong likeli- hood they will be followed. Sure, Painter has had to soul search about how to get his team to have better poise at the end of games, but he will do that with- in the framework of having his team just as eager to solve that problem as the coach and his staff is. That's good culture. Enter athletic director Mike Bobinski. So much has been — and will be made — about Bobins- ki's football hire that likely will come in early December. We address that in the back of the magazine, along with our list (not Mike's to be sure) of possible candidates as fits to change Purdue's culture in football. Bobinski saw the need for change and acted on it. That likely will be Bo- binski's culture moving forward. Assess, evaluate and act will be the process he uses to change the culture of the athletic department into his vision for it moving forward. In the issue, some of Purdue's most iconic statues serve as backdrops for our player features. John Purdue, John Wooden, Neil Armstrong and The Boilermaker are great examples of Purdue's culture of hard work, innovation and humility that set the culture at Purdue. My guess is Bo- binski, on his strolls outside his office, will come to know these figures and use them as the basis of building his culture moving forward. From Publisher Alan Karpick "We're going to outwork our opponents. That's always been the Purdue Boilermaker way." Vince Edwards on "Gold and Black LIVE" Oct. 7. "We want to win a championship. Everyone here in this department knows that's the end game. This group is great." Sharon Versyp before the season, her 11th at Purdue. "I love the size inside with Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas. Vince Edwards is an underrated forward." Dick Vitale's preseason top-40 on ESPN.com, where he has the Boilermakers ranked 15th.