John is scheduled to take over some coverage of the Spring Game tomorrow since he is in West Lafayette and I am down in Miami visiting my in-laws. With all the injuries we have seen lately it should be a good chance to see some guys that are trying to find a place on the two-deeps. That could be a major benefit when it comes to one of our biggest issues of the past few seasons. We have had little to no depth at some key positions. Our front line guys have been fine, but without that depth, especially the last two years, we have been worn down in many games. Tomorrow gives us a chance to see that depth.
In the meantime, there has been plenty of other news out there that I have missed out on the last few days. Here is what I can find for your discussion.
Donnie Hale prepared for prep school - Honestly, I hope he has to go, because it means that both JJ and E'Twaun would be coming back. If either one of them stays in the draft there will be a scholarship open and Hale will be on campus. Obviously, we are all waiting nervously over the next few weeks. If I were to play my hunch, I would say that E'Twaun is back because he can gain a whole bunch this coming season. I would say JJ is 50/50. In truth though, I think we could survive JJ's loss more than E'Twaun's. If we lose JJ we lose a great, great player, but we have some depth to soften the blow. If we lose E'Twaun, we lose a proven scorer and a guy that has a developed sense of The Moment. We don't call him The Red Button without cause here. There are certain times in most games where you absolute need a basket. E'Twaun is that guy for us. It is a hard trait to develop, and cannot be underestimated. The win in East Lansing was the best example of this. With a raucous home crowd and a hot Spartan team that had just cut a big lead down to three with four minutes to go E'Twaun took control. That experience would be immeasurable next year with at least six extremely tough road games.
Joey Elliott to the Dolphins? - I saw this in the Herald today down here and I was intrigued by it. Naturally, the city is going nuts over Brandon Marshall's arrival. He was even at the Marlins game we went to on Wednesday. Elliott has been working out with the Dolphins a lot, however, and they seem to be impressed by him. I think they liked the last Purdue quarterback they had quite a bit, too.
New rules for taunting in place - I'll let J Money say what most of us were thinking about this. Personally, I love the one assistant coach for Notre Dame that is throwing a fit in the clip like the taunting penalty would make a difference in their deserved ass-whipping.
JJ talks to fans on Ustream - This is a great find and piece from Boiled Sports about JaJuan Johnson and his possible NBA dreams. I hope he stays, but we'll still love him either way.
Notre Dame needs us - At least that is what Black Shoe Diaries is arguing about the Irish and their possible move to the Big Ten. I know it won't happen, but I'd love to seem them ask the conference for membership only to be given a flat out no. If they join a conference, it will be the Big East because they think they can dominate it in football. They would be the fifth best team in the Big Ten at best behind Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Iowa. I don't think Michigan State or Michigan (once they fire RichRod) would be far behind either.
Sharon Versyp signs extension - It's five more years for coach Versyp, who did a decent job this year with a team that was devastated by injuries.
Danny Hope gets a one year extension - I think this is fair since he clearly has the program going in a positive direction.
ATM out for spring game - This is just the latest in a series of spring injuries for us. It does give Keith Carlos more of an opportunity to prepare for any carries we might need from him in the fall.
Baseball hosts Penn State in weekend series - Both teams are 2-4 in conference play, so it is critical for each team if they want to play in the Big Ten Tournament. The Boilers won midweek games over Ball State and Illinois State to move to 17-14 overall. Penn State is 14-17. A series win for Purdue keeps them alive, while a loss or a sweep would be really, really bad.
Softball visits Wisconsin for a pair - the ladies softball team is 19-21 on the year before heading up to Wisconsin for games today and tomorrow. Purdue is only 2-4 in conference play, but the Badgers are 0-8 and only 10-24 overall.