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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 2 42 frame of mind and have a different set of experiences. People may have grown and some people may have taken a step back. Some people can have things that happen to them personally that don't allow them to be as productive a person. There are a lot of things that go on, and as a coach, I don't need to rush to a answer, especially when it's only October. Get into practice and let some things come to you. That's what you want. You want your guys to decide as a group how you're going to do a lot of things." Gold and Black: So how open-minded will you be should the numbers conflict with what the analytics say? Painter: "I'm open-minded. I think you have to have a balance where you don't ignore the numbers when they go against how you think, but also understand the hu- man element of having a feel. You have to have a human feel for your players and have a feel for your league and opposition. Your experiences are still important. Don't ever diminish the fact that your experiences as a coach and player are important. I think you have to be able to weigh those things. Sometimes guys are either totally feel guys or totally analytics guys. I like to be a little bit of both and not ignore either one." Gold and Black: What should win- ning the Big Ten last year do for this team? Painter: "I think it should give them the confidence that they can do it again. I think it's that simple. I think we have enough pieces to win again. I've sat in that locker room before and felt that we can win this league. They used to look at me funny when I'd tell them that. Now they don't look at me funny anymore. They realize that they can do that. "We felt like we had a couple games slip away, but we also felt like we might have had a few games that we stole. You always have that in a season. You always have a few games where you want to get out of there before they change the score, and then there are games where you wonder how you lost it. That's basketball, though." Gold and Black: What has to happen for them to repeat? Painter: "I think our defense has to be better and our chemistry has to keep us together. We can't have cliques. You can't branch off and go your own way. We have to make sure all our new guys are on board and that all of our old guys are focused throughout the season. Just be- cause you did it last year, that doesn't mean you'll do it this year. I think that will be very important for us." Gold and Black: Are you saying that generally or is that a concern? Painter: "Just generally. We have not had a lot of up- perclassmen and we have had some empty classes and been relatively young. Now we have seniors, and even though there is an age gap now, we have to make sure we stick together." j 765.447.4165 | www.lafayetteortho.com Robert J. Hagen, MD Peter J. Torok, MD Daniel J. Daluga, MD Michael E. Highhouse, MD John T. Bauman, MD Mark C. Page, MD Michael D. Krauss, MD Joel A. Virkler, DO THE AREA'S PREMIER ORTHOPAEDIC AND SPORTSMEDICINE CENTER INJURED? We can help! GO BOILERS!