GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4 57
BY BRIAN NEUBERT
BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com
I
t all happened so fast that it might
not have been fully appreciated real-
time.
But the play Caleb Swanigan made
with about six-and-a-half minutes left
in Purdue's Big Ten road opener at Ohio
State was not only a brilliant basketball
play but also a glowing reflection of all
that's made the Boilermakers' star big
man great.
It was simply raw will.
It went like this: Swanigan posted up
Buckeye center Trevor Thompson right of
the rim, took a dribble toward the lane,
then spun and trucked his defender with
his devastating drop step, the sheer force
of which knocked Thompson backward,
knees buckled, as Swanigan went up to
shoot with his right hand.
Nevertheless, Thompson is really tall
and really long and as he gave ground, he
was able to recover, reaching out a hand
to block Swanigan's shot.
The first shot, that is.
Undeterred, Swanigan came down
from his initial jump and bounced right
back up off one foot.
Then, as if he'd planned it this way
all along, he reached around Thompson
with his left hand and gently tapped the
ball in, while Thompson stood around
Will's
Power