Gold and Black's Men's Hoops Lineup
The
Starters
Ronnie Johnson 3
G • 6-0 • So.
Since the Old Spice Classic,
the point guard has been
playing well in terms of
picking his spots better
and finding a better balance between scoring and
facilitating. Matt Painter
has wanted the sophomore to "lead," and
he seems to be taking steps in that direction. He's shooting better from three-point
range, though it's not in Purdue's best interests for him to shoot much in that sense;
he's shooting much better from the foul
line, where it absolutely is in Purdue's best
interests for him to shoot much.
The
Reserves
Travis Carroll 50
C • 6-9 • Sr.
The senior has settled
into a practice-player,
as-needed-on-game-day
sort of role as A.J. Hammons and Simpson man
the 5 position but really
embraced his role as the two young
centers' foil in practice, an important
role considering the importance of
Hammons' and Simpson's effort levels.
The
Deep
Bench
Terone Johnson 0
G • 6-2 • Sr.
The Boilermakers' leading
scorer continues to be
haunted by his woes at the
foul line, but overall has
been a little more efficient
last season, his field goal
percentage to this point
being up more than 5 percent, with only
11 turnovers through his first 273 minutes.
Purdue does need him to pick his battles
wisely and move the ball around when
necessary and lately the senior has done
a better job of that. As will be the case all
season, the Boilermakers need productive,
positive leadership from one of their most
prominent personalities.
Sterling Carter 1
G • 6-0 • Sr. (5)
After a rough go of things
as a shooter, the senior
broke out to an extent
against Boston College
and Eastern Michigan,
making four threes
between the two games. Previously,
his shooting woes impacted his opportunities, though his defensive effort
has been satisfactory even when he's
not shooting well. But he needs to make
shots for the balance of the season, as it's
fair to assume his minutes and scoring
will be directly tied to one another.
Neal Beshears 30
F • 6-7 • Jr.
Jay Simpson 23
C • 6-10 • R-Fr.
Simpson's time in the
starting five might not be
built to last, since A.J. Hammons is obviously one of
Purdue's most important
players. But the redshirt
freshman has been good, a
productive offensive option and solid rebounder, especially on the offensive glass.
Simpson's a good passer for a big man and
better defending the perimeter than Hammons, though not nearly the shot-blocker.
And it being only Simpson's first full
season, he should improve. He has to be
stronger with the ball inside and has taken
steps toward alleviating some issues he's
had with his profuse sweating affecting his
grip on the ball. Yeah, that happened.
Rapheal Davis 35
G • 6-5 • So.
The energetic sophomore
obviously brings a number of intangibles but
needs to be more productive in his role coming off
the bench. He has forced
offense at times, perhaps out of eagerness, and that's led to 38-percent shooting, including 1 of 11 from three-point
territory. And he's shooting only 64 percent from the foul line. Nevertheless, Davis is a player who has his coach's trust,
so there he was on the floor at the end of
a close game vs. Eastern Michigan.
Anfernee Brown 24
G • 6-1 • Fr.
Basil Smotherman 5
F• 6-5 • Fr.
One of the great success
stories of the first third of
the season, the freshman
has been a revelation for
the Boilermakers, a selfless
offensive player who acts
in a glue capacity and a
tireless runner from end to end. Smotherman's effort has stood out and when combined with his elite athleticism, it's made
him productive, particularly on putbacks of
offensive rebounds. He has a chance to be
an excellent defensive player, as well. He's
made his name thus far with effort, and
must keep it up.
A.J. Hammons 20
C • 7-0 • So.
Hammons is a backup
on paper only, obviously
a player Purdue's relying
heavily on and still its most
influential presence at
both ends of the floor. The
offense hasn't entirely clicked yet, as he's
getting few good opportunities and has
been turnover-prone with some of those
he's gotten. But the 7-footer has been
dominant on defense when he's eluded
foul problems, averaging four blocks per
game. Now, if he could just win a tip when
he does get back in the starting five.
Jon McKeeman 2
G • 6-1 • So.
Kendall Stephens 21
G • 6-6 • Fr.
Stephens has lived up to
his rep as a big-time shooter thus far, so much so that
he's almost achieved musthave-on-the-floor status
despite deficiencies in
other portions of his game.
But the Eastern Michigan game, when he
was 0-for-5 in the second half on threes,
was the first time Painter really expressed
a need for the rookie to not get "carried
away" when launching shots. Painter wants
— and needs — him to be aggressive, but
not too aggressive. It's a fine line. But Stephens is a weapon and makes things easier
for everyone else on the floor, including
the big men, for which he is often the inbound passer for a reason.
Errick Peck 32
F • 6-6 • Sr. (5)
As Smotherman's
emerged, Peck's played
a slightly less prominent
role, playing only 27 minutes total the past two
games post-Old Spice
Classic. Peck helped Purdue win games
earlier this season and has generally
been productive, so it's probably more
about what Smotherman is doing than
what Peck isn't, but it'll be interesting to
see how it plays out long-term.
Bryson Scott 12
G • 6-1 • Fr.
In some ways, the emotional and hyper-competitive freshman passed
his first major test. After
Florida, Purdue needed
something different out
of him, something he's never before
had to be. It needed him to rein in his
natural urge to score every chance he
gets and share the ball. He's bought in.
He had to score at the end of Eastern
Michigan to win, but part of that was
cosmetic because when EMU had to
foul at the end, it was Scott who had
the ball in his hands often.
Stephen Toyra 11
G • 6-3 • So.
— Brian Neubert
GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 14 • 18
