Relearning to dig practice
Posted: Thursday October 29, 1998 12:35 PM
We've been going a little over a week now, and things are coming along quite nicely. One of the things I thought was not very good last year was we really didn't have a very good practice team. We simply did not like to practice. The biggest cheer I always got was when I said, "No practice tomorrow."
As you know, in the NCAA you have to take off one day per week and you're only allowed 20 hours of practice each week. Twenty hours are plenty when games start, but I think that in the early season that's ridiculous -- but that's an NCAA rule and we have to follow that.
We've put a lot of emphasis these last 10 days or so on really getting in the kids' heads: "Don't beat yourself." See the ball on defense, see open people, make the easy pass, know the score, know the time remaining and don't beat yourself with quick shots.
The main thing we'd like to do is really get after folks with a lot of people. Early in the season we could play 12 people. We have 13 on scholarship, but right now the only person who might not play a lot is Carson Cunningham because of his elbow surgery. I won't know about redshirting anybody until Monday, but I do know that we're going to put a lot more emphasis on 3-point shooting. And if you're going to be a 3-point shooting team, you'd better be a good rebounding team because those babies are going to come off of there long and you have to be aggressive. Just to put up a 3-pointer is dumb, so we want to make sure we have the right people shooting with the other people fulfilling their roles.
We're anticipating a nice turnout for our first game November 2 against North Melbourne. We'll play everybody -- if we don't redshirt anyone -- and we'll come out attacking.
To the e-mailbag
Two things that I am almost always asked as I get off an elevator in hotels or other places are: "Are you as mean as you look?" and "Why haven't you been in the Final Four?"
Well, I certainly hope I'm not as mean as I look because I'm not paying attention to the way I look. I try to be cut-in to what the situation is and be very, very open and up-front and honest with what’s going on.
In regards to the Final Four, well, if I had the answer to that I would have answered that a long time ago. I’ve been in the Final Four as an assistant with Eddie Sutton when we were at Arkansas (1978), and I’ve been in the Final Four of the National Junior College Tournament as a head coach at Hutchinson (Kansas) Junior College. But as head coach at Purdue, that goal has not yet been accomplished.
One of the things that we’re always trying to do here is to be at our best. I really believe that young people will pretty much accept and do what you expect of them, so we expect to win the Big Ten, we expect to go the Final Four and we expect to be a national champion. We have a great deal of pride here in what we do, which leads me to another prominent question -- one that I welcome.
I think that the biggest compliment I usually get as a coach is the question: "How do you get your kids to play so hard?” I’m confident that throughout the season we’re going to get better because we practice hard, we have a great camaraderie with our players, we have great togetherness and we really cherish our jobs as coaches. I really have a great staff. Frank Kendrick, who was an All-American here in ‘74 when Purdue beat Utah for the NIT title, is very good at motivating the kids rebounding-wise, getting them to play harder and taking pride in the Purdue tradition. Jim Thrash, who I think is one of the bright minds in the coaching profession, thinks a lot like I do as far as philosophy, so he’s been fun to have aboard. And Jay Price, who is my restricted-earnings coach, is one of the bright young minds in the game -- very well-organized, a great scout -- and will certainly be a first-class assistant for someone.
But now I'd like to invite your questions. Simply click on the link below and let me know what you'd like to know.
The folks at CNNSI.com tell me that your questions should be limited to 50 words or less, and will be selected on the basis of their diversity, creativity and general clarity.
I'll take it from there.
From the season's first tip-off to its final buzzer, Purdue coach Gene Keady files a weekly column with CNNSI.com. In his 19th year as head coach of the Boilermakers, Keady provides an exclusive peek into the highlights, lowlights and sidelights of a full college basketball season. Follow one of the nation's top coaches within one of the nation's top conferences this season "From Midnight to March."
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