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m e n ' s b a s k e t b a l l f e a t u r e : a . j . h a m m o n s big potential Effort final element for Hammons BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com A sk A.J. Hammons, and he'll tell you. He'll say he had no interest in playing basketball as a 9-year-old. He did it only because his mother "forced" him, wanted him to get out of the house and join his older brother Tyrone playing ball. Ask Hammons pretty much anything, and he'll tell you. He'll say how he didn't have really any passion for the game during those early years. He'll say how it wasn't until about his freshman year in high school at Carmel that it started to matter to him. He'll say that shift was because that's when he started to realize, maybe, there was a future for him in the sport. He was a kid growing into a 7-foot, 275-pound man with athleticism and skill sets that belied that size. He was a kid flashing potential that, some day, ball could not just be a hobby but a career. But fulfilling such lofty aspirations will require commitment and effort, consistently. Not just on game days. Not just when a practice is going well. Not just settling for watching film in a team setting but on his own, breaking down every step, every box out, every post move. Not just lifting weights when he wants. He'll tell you all of that. "It's an effort thing, really. It's all effort," the Purdue freshman says of what will move him from potential to special. "It's just got to click. I've got to want it for myself. I'm still trying to work on it, really. "I don't have the full passion yet. I'm just starting to love the game." Hammons is getting help to stoke the fire. Early in Hammons' career, all coaches needed was for him to "get the jump ball and that's about it," good friend and former AAU coach Jared Quarles joked. But, slowly, Hammons found his worth on the court. After only two years at Carmel near Indianapolis, Hammons went to prep school at power Oak Hill. Hammons played a pivotal role during last season's undefeated season. The big man, for the first time, started to feel "like he was needed," Quarles said. That's being reinforced in Hammons' first season at Purdue. One reason Hammons said he chose to play for the Boilermakers was because he knew Matt Painter and his staff would push him. He didn't want to just coast anymore. That certainly isn't happening in West Lafayette. Painter and his staff are hard on Hammons as they not only work to develop skills but try to get him involved and keep him interested in non-game atmospheres. "You always want more from talent. You're always going to want more from A.J. Hammons," Painter said. "He's got to do a better job before practice, and he's got to do a better job of mentally getting himself ready. When he treats every day like it's game day, he's really going to make some strides. I call them clockwatchers. The first time you start as a freshman, it's like biology class if you hate biology. It's like Spanish class if you hate Spanish. We all have a subject we don't like — what do we do? We stare at the clock instead of fighting it and just embracing that even if we don't like it, let's just make the most of it. When you start to do that, when you look at work like work, it's painful. When you look at your work like it's play, that's when you have a good time. "Even though you have tough times, I just think those tough times, when you do have good times, it makes it better. I think he'll start to understand that when he's more consistent in his preparation and his effort." Hammons will tell you he's been overwhelmed at points in the first semester of his Purdue life. 42 • Gold & Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 3 Stockton Photo At 7-foot, 275 pounds, Hammons has provided an immediate defensive presence for the Boilermakers. He was the team's leading rebounder and top shot-blocker through the first 10 games. Though there was some introduction to structure and a college lifestyle at Oak Hill, it doesn't compare with what he's doing now, he says. He's trying to learn the balance of going to class, getting good grades, lifting weights, watching film and going to training table with basketball. And there's plenty to learn on the court, too. Scouting reports change, approaches are altered. One day, he'll be told to do something one way. The next, it can be different. One day, he'll learn a defensive principle. The next day, another. "It's kind of hard to focus, I'm not going to lie," he said. "It's hard to listen and do the same things. Sometimes, it just goes over my head a little bit." Quarles insists Hammons gets it and can quickly understand concepts and directions. But understanding and executing, well, that depends. "He's an intelligent kid, but sometimes that gets him into trouble, too, because it's like, 'You're telling me what you're supposed to be doing but you're not doing it.' He does that all the time," Quarles said. Few question what Hammons can be once he starts to put effort with the talent. There have been glimpses already. GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com