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f r o m e d i t o r b r i a n n e u b e r t what happened? Purdue���sasseason goes down a disappointment, it ending in the sec- ond round of the College Basketball Invitational, two games under .500, ending ��� or at least pausing ��� one of the greatest runs of success in school history. But why? Well, this cramped digital space doesn���t nearly provide enough room to even come close to telling the full story, so the Cliff���s Notes will have to suffice for the time being. Inexperience: Purdue was young, plain and simple, and there���s just no getting around that. It opened the season playing five freshmen extensive minutes and finished the season starting three of them. With youth comes many things, including immaturity. Part of immaturity can be dealing with things when things go sideways. Navigating adversity was an issue for this group from Day 1. In New York City, if the elbow against Villanova doesn���t happen, who knows how things unfold thereafter? Purdue got itself blown out a bunch this season because of an inability to keep its composure. Part of immaturity, too, is a certain casualness. In a season full of forgotten jerseys and nearly missed busses, Purdue���s collective work ethic was so often called into question, its culture ��� the program���s unseen pillar ��� eroded. Such things aren���t uncommon with youth. It���s a process. But Purdue���s problems were pronounced. In a season where many Big Ten freshmen, many of them Indiana natives or sons of Boilermakers adding to the angst in West Lafayette, made it look so easy, Purdue���s struggled often. The difference being that so many other rookies in the league walked into better support systems, surrounded by more experience. Purdue���s roster was bottom heavy and thus the Boilermakers too often went as their freshmen went. The roster: The latter point would not have been so had Purdue���s 2009 recruiting class not blown up, leaving D.J. Byrd as the only senior recruited on scholarship on this team. The effects of Kelsey Barlow were felt in Purdue���s lack of backcourt depth and overall athleticism. Barlow now holds the distinction of screwing over three consecutive Boilermaker teams, after being suspended for the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago and kicked off the team midseason last year. But he hurt no team more than he did this one. Of course, his disposition might only have affected this year���s schizo team for the worse, so be careful what you wish for. Talent: Make no mistake: Purdue was far from the most talented team out there. But it certainly was good enough to win a lot more games than it did, as evidenced by all the close losses in non-conference that easily could have been wins. But this team was too limited, as well, with too few shooters and too few athletes. Recruiting mistakes were made, whether they were tied to ability or personality, and here���s guessing those mistakes won���t be made again. A lot went wrong this season, but the future remains bright. Even as Purdue was wildly inconsistent and ultimately put out of its misery in the CBI, there were flashes. Terone Johnson was All-Big Ten, Sandi Marcius was an inspiration late in the season and the freshmen can all be outstanding. The incoming class is talented and driven. It was a miserable year by Purdue standards, without ques- tion, but not something that can���t turn around quickly. It���s been done before, and there���s no reason to think that something that has already been done can���t be done again. j Neubert can be contacted at BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com Points that count. rewards you want most. Join thousands of purdue fans who reach for their official purdue Visa�� and get rewarded for things you pay for anyway. shop at millions of places worldwide and watch your rewards add up fast. redeem points for 1% cash back, merchandise or a cash contribution to the John purdue club. Make every point count. Request your Purdue Visa today.* 765.497.3328 // 800.627.3328 // purduefed.com *Subject to credit approval. No annual fee. Balance transfers and cash advances not eligible for rewards points. This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. GoldanDBlack express ��� volume 23, express 27��� ������ 4