Snow job
Blizzard adds wrinkle -- not problems -- to season
Posted: Tuesday January 12, 1999 05:41 PM
We had to cancel our first Big Ten game against Minnesota because of the snowstorm. Of course, right away everybody wants to know how it affects our coaching strategy and the attitude of our players here at Purdue.
First of all, there's nothing you can do about the storm. I learned a long time ago that you can't worry about things you can't control.
We initially canceled the game to protect Minnesota from any injuries in coming down an icy, snowy highway. Then we learned our fans couldn't make it to the game because of the county emergency-storm situation still in effect, so we had to cancel the game the next day, as well. We certainly didn't want to, but we did it mainly for safety's sake. Now, we're in a holding pattern as to when to reschedule it.
The indefinite postponement is one of those situations that you can't control. You can't help it along, you just have to adjust to it and go on. I try to use a negative as a positive and be very good about how I handle my practice sessions, and I really feel that missing the scheduled Minnesota game helped us prepare for Penn State, which we beat 70-67 last week.
Missing the Minnesota game allowed us more time to go over our plays, work on defense and do a better job of scouting the Nittany Lions. So, the delay in the Big Ten schedule probably helped us because being on the road is very difficult, and we've done quite well on the road in the Big Ten.
I don't think the storm bothered us any as far as the kid's attitudes. We kept them together, had breakfast together and met together. It ended up being a good time, actually. Especially with school not being in session, the disruption caused by the storm was not much of a problem for us, because when you go on the road and beat Penn State like we did, it was a good start for us.
Out of the Friar pan
The fact that Providence beat us by five on Dec. 27 was probably an eye-opener for us, and you don't like to ever think that a loss is good for you. But in this situation it was a good learning tool because we turned the ball over 27 times. In spite of that, we still had a chance to win. But mainly we got beat because we didn't do a good job of containing their dribble on defense.
| |
|
Sometimes my yelling helps and sometimes it hurts; it depends on the players. Our older players it doesn't help because they know that I'm for them and they know we're a family thing.
| |
| |
More importantly, we did not block out well, so they got a lot of second and third chances rebounding. The stat of 27 turnovers is very glaring, but the one thing that wasn't brought up was the fact that we didn't block out well and keep them off the boards like we should have and have done in other games.
Some folks said it was an unexpected defeat. I don't really think so. Providence is good. And we had a great battle with the Friars last year and beat them by two points when Pete Gillen (now coach at Virginia) was coaching there. After being off for 16 days, Providence was mentally prepared to play the game. We didn't cope with that very well because they came out and really got after us with their defense. They were very quick, they played hard, and because of our turnovers we've worked harder on passing and on total team togetherness.
And sometimes my yelling helps and sometimes it hurts; it depends on the players. Our older players it doesn't help because they know that I'm for them and they know we're a family thing. The film work was good because we got to look at our mistakes in the Providence game a little longer than we would've if we hadn't had that snowstorm layoff -- so that was a good situation for us where we got to learn from a loss. Then the storm comes in, and we really got to be together more, and maybe in the long run when we look back at it come March or April, we'll see that that was hopefully a turning point for us -- where we really came together as a team.
But who knows?
You never really know because you don't know what's in the future, but at least right now it's been a big plus for us.
To the e-mailbag
| |
Bring it on: Gene Keady will take on Roy Williams' (right) Jayhawks "anytime they want to" Todd Warshaw/Allsport |
Coach, could you explain why teams go into scoring/shooting slumps during the course of a game. I've witnessed Purdue, Indiana and other very good teams go into terrible lapses -- over six to eight minutes without scoring. What are your thoughts on why this happens?
Steven E. Thompson, Reynoldsburg, Ohio
I think that a lot of things happen. Defensively, people might pick up their tempo, or you may get down if you don't make some shots. Shooting is very fickle and you have to be very focused and if you aren't, you just have to hope that your defense can carry you and get you through those bad times, and that's what we preach. You just have to be mentally tough and get through it and don't let it happen. We know it's going to happen, but you just have to be positive about what you're trying to do.
I think Purdue would benefit from lining up a Pac-10 opponent in the preseason. UCLA, Stanford or Arizona would be great candidates. Your thoughts?
Jeff Parkhurst El Dorado Hills, Calif.
That's funny you should bring that up, Jeff, because right now we're thinking about playing Arizona in a doubleheader out in Las Vegas in December, we're thinking about playing Stanford coming back from our Maui trip next year, and then we're working on a UCLA series if we can with Bruins coach Steve Lavin. So yeah, I'm not against a Pac-10 opponent. I think it would be great.
Other than the obvious statistics, what characteristics and traits do you look for when recruiting players for the team?
Dick Thompson, Yankton, S.D.
I look for two things physically: quickness and shooting ability. I guess you could put a third one in there: If a guy is big, that would be important. But mainly we look for good character guys who are intelligent. You don't have to be a straight-A student, but you do have to have good common sense. You have to be a dedicated player who will work hard on your game without us standing over you. You have to be an enthusiastic person who enjoys playing with others, who savors your ability to play at the Big Ten level and -- this is big -- who is loyal to us around here.
When do you suppose you will play KU at Kansas so your in-laws can come watch you coach? Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. From your loving daughter in-law, Angie
Angie Keady, Emporia, Kan.
We'll play Kansas anytime they want to, so maybe you can call Roy Williams and Roy and I can get together and we'll play them in Kansas City or they can come play us in Indianapolis in two neutral-court games. We're ready to play them anytime that they want to play. So Angie, do me a favor and call Roy Williams and get that game hooked up because I'm ready. It's funny how your family always wants you to get beat. But anyway ... she's a great KU fan so I understand.
Mr. Keady, how important is on-court communication between your players? In other words, do you expect them to call screens, switches and changes in offensive and/or defensive sets? And, do you assign certain players the responsibilities of conveying your messages during the course of a game?
Rob DiPofi, Geneva, Ohio
Great question, Rob. On-court communication between players is very, very important. Communication is one of the things we really work at, not only on the court but also off the court with the coaches, the players, each other, calling out screens and if we switch. Changes in offensive and defensive sets are called by our point guard so we have to really work at communicating. It's a big deal, and without it you can't win.
I have noticed that you've gone to a matchup zone from time to time this season, with some success. That's something we Boiler fans used to see only rarely, if at all. Could you explain the thinking behind this change?
Mike Lewis, Newtown Square, Pa.
We've gone to what we call a matchup this year because I think it helps us when we change a little bit. We've used this in previous years. Some years we've used the old Jack Hartman 1-2-2 that I got from Bob Chipman, who was my assistant coach on a lot of USA Basketball squads. We're using that because I think it will help us, especially since we don't have much height. We think it can help the way we play and front people that are big. We use the matchup zone because we think we can win doing it.
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."
Get the inside skinny from Purdue coach Gene Keady! Click here.
| 
