Hi. My first BS post didn’t really have an introduction, so here we go.
My name is Aneesh (@phoenyx29), and I love basketball, Purdue, and really good cups of coffee.
Most of all, I love making it easy for hardcore Purdue fans (like yourself) to catch up on games. Most outlets don’t give Purdue much coverage, and I want some aspect of Boilermaker fandom to be easy [Easy...like boilerdowd in Cary Quad after a bottle of Boone's. -Ed.]. That’s why I will compile video/GIFs of the important stuff from each game, focus on one (or two) sets, and spotlight a player’s contributions to the game. [Sounds like a fit at BS! - Ed.]
And with that, let’s get to Sunday night’s home game against Rider.
GIF OF THE NIGHT – Basil Smotherman
Good lord yes.
THE LESSON –New hand-check rules are here to stay.
Hey, watch a beautiful compilation of idiotic fouls:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7xXj80VQSpM
We’ll have to get used to it. As frustrating as it might be (especially as a fan of Purdue defense), these calls aren’t going anywhere. This is why AJ Hammons only got 3 first half minutes.
GETTING TO THE BASKET – Everyone. It was beautiful.
Great basketball teams play to their strengths. Purdue’s advantages are in the post (AJ Hammons, Jay Simpson), perimeter shooting (Sterling Carter, Kendall Stephens), and wing quickness (Ronnie and Terone Johnson, Bryson Scott, Ray Davis). AJ Hammons was out of commission due to foul trouble, and never really got into the flow of the game (I can’t blame him, he didn’t get the chance to show much). Carter (1-5) and Stephens (0-4) were ice cold, but getting good looks.
Thankfully, Purdue didn’t panic. They just got to the basket:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kaUP7fWWiaE
Spoiler alert: getting closer to the basket gives you higher percentage shots. RJ is quicker than almost anyone defending him, TJ is stronger than most off-guards, Ray Davis is the ultimate crafty master (though his jump-stop above was called for travelling), and I’m all for anything Bryson Scott does on the court (more on that below). Poor shooting nights are reversed by getting easy looks at the basket (even if some of the video’s drives didn’t result in points), capitalizing on put-back attempts, and drawing fouls. When the refs are blowing their whistles this quickly, Purdue has to take advantage.
Making free throws…that’s another battle for another day.
SWAMY SPOTLIGHT – Bryson Scott
Hell, every semi-regular column needs a dumb section involving alliteration.
With apologies to Sterling Carter, Ronnie Johnson, Jay Simpson, and Terone Johnson’s 2nd half, this spotlight is on Bryson Scott. Specifically, his aggressiveness in the first half that gave Purdue life in lieu of AJ Hammons.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oKa7s3GwOFE
Specifically, look at that last play. Scott tries to force his way into the lane, is denied, and shows patience beyond his freshman-ness to reset the play. He proceeds to space the floor very well, gets the ball back in the flow of the offense, and slowly gets in to the lane after a Travis Carroll pick.
Coming in to the year, Scott had somewhat of a reputation as a hothead, and people were worried about whether he would accept a “bench spark-plug” role. So far, Scott has been excellent as a secondary ball handler, shows tenacity on defense (especially while pressing the opposing point guard), and displays a unique brand of aggression and patience while attacking. I was worried about Purdue’s point guard situation going forward, but Bryson Scott has answered a lot of those questions just three games into his Purdue career. I’m all-in.
