From the beginning of practice in October, Matt Painter has talked about the luxury of having six big men on the roster for the first time in his eight years at Purdue.
But with juniors Sandi Marcius and Travis Carroll struggling to produce during games, Donnie Hale battling a thigh injury and Jay Simpson still trying to get into shape, freshman AJ Hammons and sophomore Jacob Lawson have been the primary recent options.
In Saturday?s 81-68 loss to Notre Dame, Painter tried a smaller lineup during the second half with Rapheal Davis, DJ Byrd, Terone Johnson and Ronnie Johnson on the court with 7-footer Hammons, and the Boilermakers sliced a 23-point deficit to nine with Davis scoring 21 points in the final 10:22.
Painter wasn?t hesitant to play a small lineup last season, and if it helps Purdue improve, fans may see more of it tonight against Ball State in Mackey Arena, especially if Saturday was Davis? coming out party.
?I was more aggressive and played with more confidence,? Davis said Monday. ?I got hot, and when I got hot, I knew our team needed some scoring. I felt like I had the hot hand.
?When DJ and I are in there together, one of us usually is at (power forward). We did that a little bit (against Notre Dame) and a little bit against Eastern Michigan.?
Byrd liked what Davis provided.
?He really played a good role Saturday, just going strong to the basket,? Byrd said. ?He played with confidence and knocked down the free throws. He even stepped out and hit those jump shots. We need all of those dimensions offensively, inside, outside and getting into the lane.
?When we get two feet into the lane and are able to hit the post, it really helps us out. Rapheal did a good job of that. If he can do that, it would open up things for me a lot. If they are going to help on him getting to the basket, that may give me open shots, or vice-versa.?
Byrd said the smaller lineup may work from time to time.
?It depends on who we play,? Byrd said. ?Sometimes, going small at (power forward) makes their big have to guard a quicker (power forward). We obviously have a lot of bigs, and them being more active on defense will help us a lot.?
Hammons isn?t opposed to being surrounded by four guards.
?If they have two big men, they?re going to have to guard Rapheal, who is quicker than a big man,? Hammons said. ?Most of the time we do play two bigs. I?m really impressed with what Rapheal did. I?ve been waiting on him to do it. I know he can score.?
Painter said he is more concerned with consistency than with who starts.
?It?s hard to be consistent when you are an inconsistent team,? Painter said. ?It speaks for itself. We?ve yet to have consistency across the board, really from anybody. It was great to see Rapheal continue to fight and make some plays. That?s what he can do. That was a great sign. I was happy for him.?
Hale update
Hale returned to practice Sunday and may play against Ball State.
?Hopefully, he can play,? Painter said. ?We will see how he responds. The fact he practiced the majority of Sunday?s practice was a good sign.?
In the classroom
Players will receive their first-semester grades Wednesday. Painter anticipates everyone will be eligible for the second semester.
?I don?t see where there will be a problem,? Painter said. ?You never know at this time of the year, but I haven?t had anybody say anything to me like, ?Somebody is in trouble.? ?
Not giving up
While several of his upperclassmen and more experienced players have struggled, Painter vows to keep working to help them improve.
?I?ve seen guys at the end of their career,? Painter said. ?It took Carl Landry five years before he was functional. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn?t.
?When things don?t go right with the program, it?s my fault. I don?t ever escape from that. We?ve just got to do a better job, whether that?s development or recruiting.?
About Ball State
The Cardinals are 5-4 and are led by Lafayette Jeff graduate Jesse Berry, who averages 13.2 points a game. Ball State comes to Mackey having won three in a row.
?Jesse Berry is a really talented guy,? Painter said. ?He gets it going and can score 25 to 30 points. They have a good team. They?ve been battle-tested and have played some very good competition.
?They?ve played Indiana and Butler, so coming in here, you know they?ve been in tough environments. It?s going to be a tough game for us.?
But with juniors Sandi Marcius and Travis Carroll struggling to produce during games, Donnie Hale battling a thigh injury and Jay Simpson still trying to get into shape, freshman AJ Hammons and sophomore Jacob Lawson have been the primary recent options.
In Saturday?s 81-68 loss to Notre Dame, Painter tried a smaller lineup during the second half with Rapheal Davis, DJ Byrd, Terone Johnson and Ronnie Johnson on the court with 7-footer Hammons, and the Boilermakers sliced a 23-point deficit to nine with Davis scoring 21 points in the final 10:22.
Painter wasn?t hesitant to play a small lineup last season, and if it helps Purdue improve, fans may see more of it tonight against Ball State in Mackey Arena, especially if Saturday was Davis? coming out party.
?I was more aggressive and played with more confidence,? Davis said Monday. ?I got hot, and when I got hot, I knew our team needed some scoring. I felt like I had the hot hand.
?When DJ and I are in there together, one of us usually is at (power forward). We did that a little bit (against Notre Dame) and a little bit against Eastern Michigan.?
Byrd liked what Davis provided.
?He really played a good role Saturday, just going strong to the basket,? Byrd said. ?He played with confidence and knocked down the free throws. He even stepped out and hit those jump shots. We need all of those dimensions offensively, inside, outside and getting into the lane.
?When we get two feet into the lane and are able to hit the post, it really helps us out. Rapheal did a good job of that. If he can do that, it would open up things for me a lot. If they are going to help on him getting to the basket, that may give me open shots, or vice-versa.?
Byrd said the smaller lineup may work from time to time.
?It depends on who we play,? Byrd said. ?Sometimes, going small at (power forward) makes their big have to guard a quicker (power forward). We obviously have a lot of bigs, and them being more active on defense will help us a lot.?
Hammons isn?t opposed to being surrounded by four guards.
?If they have two big men, they?re going to have to guard Rapheal, who is quicker than a big man,? Hammons said. ?Most of the time we do play two bigs. I?m really impressed with what Rapheal did. I?ve been waiting on him to do it. I know he can score.?
Painter said he is more concerned with consistency than with who starts.
?It?s hard to be consistent when you are an inconsistent team,? Painter said. ?It speaks for itself. We?ve yet to have consistency across the board, really from anybody. It was great to see Rapheal continue to fight and make some plays. That?s what he can do. That was a great sign. I was happy for him.?
Hale update
Hale returned to practice Sunday and may play against Ball State.
?Hopefully, he can play,? Painter said. ?We will see how he responds. The fact he practiced the majority of Sunday?s practice was a good sign.?
In the classroom
Players will receive their first-semester grades Wednesday. Painter anticipates everyone will be eligible for the second semester.
?I don?t see where there will be a problem,? Painter said. ?You never know at this time of the year, but I haven?t had anybody say anything to me like, ?Somebody is in trouble.? ?
Not giving up
While several of his upperclassmen and more experienced players have struggled, Painter vows to keep working to help them improve.
?I?ve seen guys at the end of their career,? Painter said. ?It took Carl Landry five years before he was functional. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn?t.
?When things don?t go right with the program, it?s my fault. I don?t ever escape from that. We?ve just got to do a better job, whether that?s development or recruiting.?
About Ball State
The Cardinals are 5-4 and are led by Lafayette Jeff graduate Jesse Berry, who averages 13.2 points a game. Ball State comes to Mackey having won three in a row.
?Jesse Berry is a really talented guy,? Painter said. ?He gets it going and can score 25 to 30 points. They have a good team. They?ve been battle-tested and have played some very good competition.
?They?ve played Indiana and Butler, so coming in here, you know they?ve been in tough environments. It?s going to be a tough game for us.?
