Tonight, Chris Kramer -- CK, CK3, Chris MF Kramer -- plays his last game at home in a Boilermaker uniform.
Chris came to Purdue with Keaton Grant and he, too, agreed to come play for a program that had been down for a few years.
Kramer came in and has been a fan favorite ever since. CK took the baton from guys like Brian Cardinal in terms of hustle and became well-known as the best defender in the Big Ten as well as one of the most-respected in the country.
Chris' numbers have been remarkably consistent over his four years at Purdue. He's averaged between 5.2-7.2 points, 2.4-2.9 assists, and 2.9 to 3.2 rebounds. This is a guy who is who is and always was this guy. He's also averaged two steals a game...for four years. Which, as you know, makes him the all-time Purdue steals leader.
Chris is the epitome of Purdue toughness, of Purdue fight, of the grit that people think of when they think of Purdue. He's not considered flashy, even though he can do this:
He can also shoot when needed, with his freshman and junior years featuring mid-30% three-point shooting. But Chris rarely shoots, mainly because he knows that's not usually what the Boilermakers need. What they rely on from him is what he does best: take charges, draw fouls, make free throws, irritate opponents, get Manny Harris to get himself ejected from a game....
CK does it all from a hard-working perspective. As is so often said (and overused), he's the guy you love on your team but hate when he's on someone else's. Chris is the guy who will get the floor burns and take the broken nose and draw the hard charging foul.
And then, when you least expect it, he'll drain a critical three or surprise everyone with a tomahawk jam.
The guy is so tough, a rumor got going strong that he's going to play football for the Boilers in the fall. He currently says that's not the plan, but maybe Coach Hope just hasn't asked him yet.
When we look forward to next year and the Big Three being seniors, many of us get excited at this prospect. However, there are those of us who felt this year was the best shot at a Final Four in decades, mainly because the Big Three were juniors and CK and KG were back as seniors. Leadership is hard to define -- Chris does it with his actions.
We'll miss Chris Kramer more than any of us realize. So when he dons the gold and black for the last time at home tonight, remind him how much we love him....floor burns and all.