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Hale Stepping Upvertime MEN'S BASKETBALL: NEWS AND NOTES BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com BY BRIAN NEUBERT Purdue can't replace Rob- bie Hummel's unique skills at the power forward position, nor will it try to. Instead, Coach Matt Painter not take any plays off. "I'm just trying to battle ev- ery day and I guess that's pay- ing off. I just have to keep that mindset and keep battling." After a year in prep school says the Boilermakers will be more of a "traditional" Big Ten team with "bookend" big men in its frontcourt. At the spot vacated by Hummel, it looks like redshirt freshman Donnie Hale, one of the team's standouts in Italy, will get first crack. "Donnie Hale has really sur- the same day as Purdue's exhibi- tion debut against Montevallo. He's waited a long time for this. and a redshirt season last year, you'd think he would be. Hale will turn 21 on Tuesday, dominantly on different things, because we have to face different things," Painter said. "If someone's go- ing to press you, you have to press in practice (for example). If someone is going to zone you, you have to zone in practice. "We have always worked on man team, but their coach will at least consider alternatives now that his roster has more height and length. "We have always worked The Boilermakers have pre- been a man-to- "Going to prep school, then redshirting," Hale said, "I think it faced as the guy who's going to play the 4 for us," Painter said at Purdue's media day on Monday. Hale said he's ready. "We have a lot of depth at the 4 and 5 positions right now," Hale said, "so it just gives me the mentality of, for my job each and every day.' I have to bring it and definitely 'I'm battling helped me mature a little bit per- sonally. It taught me to be patient and keep working and eventually you'll get what you want. " PAINTER LOOKING AT ZONE? year's team will face more zone defenses than last year's. It could also conceivably Painter anticipates this use one, Painter suggested at media day. different things but stayed pre- dominantly man-to-man. With that kind of size, sometimes you don't like to bring it out (on the perimeter), so we've worked on a zone and done some different things with a zone to see how those guys are. But you still have to be able to move in a zone if you can't use your length." ter Sandi Marcius has been "mo- mentum." After he played well at the end of last season and served MARCIUS CONFIDENT The key term for junior cen- Brian Neubert Redshirt freshman Donnie Hale projects to be Purdue's starting power forward. He's one of as many as five first-year players who'll be asked to play big minutes this season on a team with more size than it's had in years. GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 23, EXPRESS 8 • 36