Expectations

by Scotty A on Jan 28, 2012 9:34 AM EST

After a wonderful time in Purdue basketball that was the last four years, we have come to a season that is just a bit different. I come to this site and see folks whose spirits seem to cover the gamut of emotion. There are those complaining about CMP's new salary, and some going as far as to say he should have gone to Columbia. Some say that this is just a down year and we will be back after the next tow recruiting classes. I have even seen some who have not counted us out of a single game the rest of this season (I admire your optimism).

With that being said, I am curious as to what everyone's expectations are for the Purdue basketball program. Not just this year or next, the program as a whole. I am an alumnus and JPC member. I grew up in an iu house, but always liked Purdue. I grew up during Gene Keady's tenure and got to see the fine teams he coached in the 80's and 90's. I do bleed black and old gold, but I do not wear blinders, I am a realist. This is what I EXPECT Purdue basketball to do on a yearly basis:

Outwork every team we play
Play great defense
Compete in every game
Compete for the Big Ten Championship
Make the NCAA tournament
Get to the second round of the tournament

I think these are realistic expectations and when the team falls short of them, especially the first two, I get frustrated and upset. In basketball, Purdue is among the elite regular season programs. We have had troubles in the tournament, but there is a reason we hold winning records over EVERYONE else in our conference and the most Big Ten Championships. We are not duke, kansas, or connecticut, I accept this for now. CMP called out Purdue for not having a commitment to our program and, to my surprise, MB proved otherwise. With the new facilities, salary money, and recruiting budget, hopefully there comes a day when I can raise my expectations.

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Comments

Fair assessment

I agree with your list of expectations that are standard for Purdue. Of course, expectations are different than hopes for the program. I think we all agree we want to see more postseason success. I believe we still have a streak of winning first-round NCAA tourney games going back to the early 90s, but lots of second round losses that follow. It doesn’t help being a 8 or 9 seed a few of those times.

I spent one year coaching in a MIC high school program and got to see our team play against a few future Purdue and IU recruits. We had a down year and our coach always said “You don’t rebuild, you reload.” It’s a typical coach line, and the fact is that after 2007 Painter didn’t get extremely talented recruits. We did get some great role guys and he saw something in LewJack that others didn’t, but the guys we lost were not immediately replaced on the roster with the same level of talent.

I can see how a recruit might see a stacked ’07 class and realize they might not get much playing time with the guys already there. I think with two solid (on paper) ’12 and ’13 classes back to back, it shows we are bringing in depth and talent at the same time. We will start over a little bit, but if the successful recruiting keeps up, then the transitions will be better in the future.

That said, I still fully support the guys there playing hard this year and I think we still can make some noise down the stretch.

Boiler Up!

by Schoonernight! on Jan 28, 2012 9:56 AM EST reply actions

Add free throws to the list

If we did nothing different but shoot average from the free throw line, we would have 2-3 more wins this year. It would also allow us to have different players on the floor at the end of the game.

by Sportsnut on Jan 28, 2012 10:07 AM EST reply actions

We are still putting TJ on the floor at the end of the game

Why they don’t just foul him on every possession is beyond me.

by charlespig on Jan 28, 2012 9:50 PM EST up reply actions

Dakich mentioned that in the broadcast too.

He was wondering why the NBA teams do it but for some reason college teams haven’t figured it out. My best guess is that NBA players have an extra foul to give so foul trouble doesn’t occur until their 4th personal.

by clarkaj24 on Jan 30, 2012 7:48 AM EST up reply actions

Not a fan of Dakich

He always says things in a way that questions both coaches. He talks like the coaches and players are stupid and that he knows everything. When he is doing a game, I want to turn it off.

by boilerbacker31 on Jan 30, 2012 8:42 AM EST up reply actions

He does that on his show on 1070 too.

I like Dakich for the most part, but he kind of seems like he won’t listen to your opinion if you’re not a 10 year NFL or NBA vet. It’s like why even have a call in show if you’re expecting a bunch of NFL all-pros to call in.

by clarkaj24 on Jan 30, 2012 10:32 AM EST up reply actions

He is a huge bag of douche.

I can’t stand him. Like you said, he talks like he knows all and everyone is inferior. Besides that he seems to still have a personal vendetta against all things Purdue, despite supposedly being “objective” now. He played for IU, he coached for IU, I don’t expect him to be unbiased. But don’t sit there at pretend to be unbiased when you obviously are biased. Every time he opens his mouth I just want to scream at the TV, “THERE’S A REASON YOU’RE A COMMENTATOR AND NOT A COACH ANYMORE!!!! YOU’RE AN IDIOT!!!” Seriously, I won’t count the interim head coach games at IU against him, so let’s just look at his head coaching days at Bowling Green. Small school, tough to win in the non-conference, so let’s look at conference record. 89-89 over his 10 seasons, one conference championship in his 3rd year. How impressive! He’s the definition of mediocre! This is the guy who took his team to the showers to head home…BEFORE THE GAME WAS OVER AND COST HIS TEAM THE GAME. Truly, he is the duke of dumbasses, sitting at the right hand of Gottlieb, the sovereign emperor of dumbasses.

That’s all I’ve got.

/end rant

by AAMB Boiler on Jan 30, 2012 1:17 PM EST up reply actions

He seems to hate on IU too. He really just comes across as if he knows way more about basketball than anyone else alive.

by clarkaj24 on Jan 30, 2012 1:21 PM EST up reply actions

I think that list is a real mix

and #2 should be done every game no excuses

#3-6 are an on average assessment, but I agree on average Purdue is probably a #17-32 program in terms of history and accomplishment.

Having said that I think the team this year is doing 1 and part of 2, and just because they are a bit below the teams we have had recently in terms of talent doesn’t mean that we should discount their hustle or effort.

by boilerrob on Jan 28, 2012 11:56 AM EST reply actions