Boiling Point

Dealing with discipline

Keaton Grant will be playing in his first game of the season for the men's basketball team tonight, and receiver Selwyn Lymon never will play in another for the football team.
And that's how it should be on both counts.
Football coach Joe Tiller had no other choice but to part ways with Lymon, a Fort Wayne native, after he was arrested early Sunday morning for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and resisting arrest. If that was the first incident, Lymon gets another chance. But not when he already is awaiting trial for on six misdemeanor charges stemming from an incident outside an off-campus night club in March.
It would have been nice if Tiller could have told Lymon about the decision. But that didn't happen. With Lymon being held without bond, that would have meant a trip to jail for Tiller. Instead, assistant athletics director for communications Tom Schott said Tiller was intending to call Lymon's father. But when I spoke with Terry Lymon about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Lymon had yet to speak with Tiller and, thus, didn't know about his son's dismissal.
Still, I also understand that Tiller felt he had to make an announcement now for the program to be able to move forward. Lymon's next court date is Dec. 12. That could mean without a trip to visit Lymon, Tiller could have been pressing close to Purdue's (presumed) bowl game date. That would only be a distraction. It was important for Tiller to break his typical "let the legal system run its course" mantra for this situation -- just as it's important for Selwyn Lymon to focus on his life away from football at this point.
Not that Tiller ever discusses his approach to such issues with any other members of the coaching staff, but basketball coach Matt Painter's process seems to be one to emulate.
Painter also has booted a player from his program this season after Gordon Watt was arrested -- the same day as Grant -- and charged with operating while intoxicated. It was Watt's second run-in with legal trouble since he'd been at Purdue. It was Grant's first legal issue.
In his first season as coach, Painter suspended guard Tarrance Crump for the season after Crump was involved in a drunk-driving related hit-and-run.
Painter said his approach to disciplining players for off-court problems isn’t set. Instead, he said he reprimands on a case-by-case basis depending on the infraction and intent. He said often the public doesn’t know the full scale of the punishment.
“It is a very difficult chore when you’re trying to run a team but also trying to help that individual,” Painter said of dealing with the process. “You have to do what’s best for both. The individual doesn’t come before the team. … I feel that Keaton regrets the situation, and he’s going to learn from it. But also, I’ve been through it enough to know where guys have to show that and not just say it.”

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Vandervieren makes three

Dan Vandervieren is transferring, making him the third player since the end of the season to leave the men's basketball team. The loss wouldn't seem too damaging for the Boilermakers, though it's hard to rate.
Vandervieren never really impressed this season, but he also never really got in shape. He got a late start to practice after having his tonsils removed, and he was consistently bothered by a shoulder injury. The latter eventually required surgery, and Vandervieren missed the final 10 games.
What I liked best about Vandervieren was his willingness to post hard, use his wide base and really call for the ball. Those qualities were on display against Michigan at home, by far his best game of the season when he made two baskets and a pair of free throws in a key stretch. But for the season, he was never really able to get into any kind of a groove.
Last week, coach Matt Painter said he didn't expect any more athletes to transfer. But he also said he didn't expect either Johnathan Uchendu or Chris Lutz to leave either.
"A lot of times, I'm the last one that knows," Painter said last week. "You just try to help guys through their struggles. With Lutz, I had no idea. He comes in and says he wants to get closer to home, and it's the first time I've heard about it since I've been on campus. As a coach, it never gets to you until they've actually kind of made their decision."
Vandervieren's departure, as well as that of classmate Johnathan Uchendu and graduating senior Carl Landry, zaps all of Purdue's size. Uchendu is 6-foot-11, Vandervieren 6-10 and Landry 6-7. But among the incoming freshmen are JaJaun Johnson (6-10), Scott Martin (6-8) and Robbie Hummel (6-8). Obviously, none of them have experience, and Johnson isn't a back-to-the-basket kind of a player.
Already, it seemed like Purdue would be perimeter-oriented next season. But now there wouldn't seem to be another choice.

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Purdue beats Corpus Christi

Purdue had a bit of a scare Friday night when Texas A&M Corpus Christi pulled within four in the second half, but it quickly extended the lead and went on to win 79-61.
The biggest moment of the game for me wasn't any scoring play or steal or bullet bounce pass, though. It was Carl Landry's technical. Landry wound up scoring 21 points, but he was visibly frustrated by apparently not getting calls. Surely with the physical style he plays, he gets hacked all the time, and he could have had legit complaints in this game. But it's how you react to such events, and he didn't do it well.
That's been a problem in the past for Landry -- he'll pout if he doesn't get things his way on the court, and it's affected his play. That appeared to be handled this season, but the frustration came out in full force Friday.
On one play under the basket when Landry missed a shot but didn't get a foul, he whipped his arm through the air. Fortunately, Purdue got a quick steal and the ball went back to Landry for an emphatic dunk, allowing him to take out some energy.
But in the second half after a similar situation as the first, Landry wound up on the floor and slapped the ground. He was whistled for the technical.
I think Landry is one of the best players in the Big Ten. But for him to truly excel, he needs to learn to keep his emotions in check.

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Purdue bounces back

Like so many of Purdue's opponents, Wagner could not handle forward Carl Landry, and that mismatch meant a quick early lead en route to a blowout, 95-56, in Mackey.
There was no doubt Landry was going to have his way with the Seahawks, who play in the lowly Northeast Conference. I can't wait to see what happens when the Big Ten schedule comes around because these next three games will simply serve as ways for Landry -- and the Boilers -- to pad their stats.
It was nice to see Landry get fired up tonight about something other than taking out his frustrations on Wagner. During a timeout in the second half, the PA announcer informed the crowd senior David Teague had surpassed 1,000 points. Landry was standing outside Purdue's huddle waving his white towel in circles in celebration.
Teague, a guard, said he found out he was close to the mark when he got a text message from freshman teammate Chris Kramer earlier in the day.
"That was in the back of my mind, especially coming off a loss to Butler," said Teague, who finished with 15 points. "I just really wanted to come out here and play good defense and just get a win. We desperately needed this win. No matter who the opponent is, when you come off a loss, that next game is so much more important."
Teague said he didn't get the game ball, but Landry quickly added he would get it for him.

• Coach Matt Painter was informed Kramer was only one steal away from tying Purdue's single-game record, and he jokingly responded with "I want to get a win record." Kramer had six steals in only 17 minutes.

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Purdue improves to 7-1

Plenty of Boilermakers impressed in a 78-62 victory over Loyola-Chicago Tuesday.
Carl Landry looks unstoppable again -- making 7 of 10 shots, 8 of 11 free throws for a game-high 22 points and also did a nice job reading double-teams.
Chris Kramer provided energy in his return after a four-game absence with a knee injury.
But I enjoy a nice defensive lock-down, and senior David Teague provided that.
Loyola 6-foot-7 guard Blake Schilb was averaging about 18 points per game this season, and he had at least two inches on Teague. But Teague was relentless fighting through screens and following Schilb all over the court.
Schilb missed 10 of his 13 shots, including all six three-pointers.
Teague takes pride in being a defensive stopper, so his performance against Schilb was especially sweet.
"I took it as a personal challenge," Teague said. "I just wanted to limit his touches in the second half and not let him get into a groove. With good players, they can be off but all it takes is one shot or one opportunity to get him going again, so my main focus was not to let him get that one touch or one opportunity."
Teague's doggedness on defense hurt his offense in the first half. He made only 1 of 7 shots. But he refocused in the second half and relied a bit on teammates for help defense, and that left him a bit more refreshed on offense. He made four three-pointers in the final 20 minutes.
To go with 16 points, Teague also had six rebounds and a team-high six assists. Quite impressive considering he isn't 100 percent from knee surgery at the beginning of last season.
He's not the only Purdue guard who is hurting.
Kramer isn't healthy. Freshman Keaton Grant played 23 minutes despite spraining his ankle Monday in practice. Painter wasn't even sure if Grant would be able to play, but Grant contributed five points, three assists and two steals. Starting point guard Tarrance Crump also appeared to injure his right leg after getting tangled up on a breakaway under the basket. Crump limped off the court but later returned.

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Purdue pulls the upset

Tarrance Crump made a shot in the lane with 0.9 seconds remaining to help Purdue to a 61-59 victory over No. 25 Virginia in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Mackey.
Crump's last-second heroics saved the Boilermakers, who got little offensive help for Carl Landry and David Teague until the end of the game.
Purdue fought back from a 53-48 deficit to take a 59-57 lead on Teague's three-point with 1:30 left. After Virginia missed two shots and Purdue got the rebound, Crump had the ball stolen with just over 30 seconds to play. Virginia made two free throws to tie the game.
On the final possession, it appeared as though Carl Landry held onto the ball for too long. By the time he got it back to Crump, there were only about eight seconds left. I initially thought they were going to let Landry try to break down his defender. That would have been a mistake -- Crump is the team's best ball-handler. But once Crump got the ball, the play developed quickly: Landry setting a ball screen up top, Crump reading the defense and zipping to the basket and then lofting the ball in the air on a tough shot.
After it went in, Chris Lutz shot for the student section, pumping his arms up to get them louder and then ripping his fist through the air. I don't think he realized there was still time on the clock. But that emotion was only one example of what the players showed Wednesday.
And it's a nice gesture this season, too, how the players head over to the student section after games to sing the fight song. It's what the football team does after victories, but I hadn't seen the basketball team do it until this season.
Perhaps even more impressive about the victory was Purdue once again did it without Chris Kramer, who didn't play for the third consecutive game. He sprained his posterior cruciate ligament in the first game of the Maui Invitational. There's no word on when Kramer will be back in the lineup. Even though Kramer is only a freshman, coach Matt Painter said he never would have believed his team could have won these last three games without Kramer.

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Purdue beats Indiana

Another bucket game, another victory for Purdue.
The Boilermakers overcame five turnovers, including four interceptions thrown by Curtis Painter, to win for the ninth time in the last 10 meetings against Indiana, 28-19, Saturday.
Painter was bad enough to get booed by the home crowd, but two of his interceptions were on tipped balls. That's not to defend him, though, because he wasn't exactly sharp much of the day. He finished with 50 percent completions and 260 yards. His only touchdown pass was one of his best passes of the day, a 14-yarder to Greg Orton, who caught six balls for 112 yards.
But the real story of the offense was the re-emergence of the run game. Jaycen Taylor had 94 yards and Kory Sheets had 63.

- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

What to watch vs. Indiana

About 40 minutes before game time, and there still isn't a full parking lot. I would assume people are tailgating somewhere, just not in view of the spanning press box.
Most of the fans in the stands already - and there are few - are bundled tightly and have blankets. Purdue fans were encouraged to wear black to the game, and 50,000 gold pom poms were to be distributed. We'll see what the atmosphere is like during game time. I would suspect it will be rocking.
Purdue's defense is so much improved over the last month, but it will be interesting to see if it can handle another mobile, strong-armed quarterback with a big-time receiver. The Boilermakers were pretty solid against Michigan State's Drew Stanton, who may be comparable to Indiana's Kellen Lewis. Purdue may use a linebacker to spy Lewis, a scheme it used against Stanton and Illinois' Juice Williams.

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

What to watch vs. Illinois

It's pretty windy here in Champaign, and that can't be good for Chris Summers.
Purdue's freshman kicker already has been struggling, making only three of his last 12 kicks, and with strong winds blowing from the Northwest and swirling a bit inside Memorial Stadium, I'd say no field goal attempts today would be a smart decision.
Coach Joe Tiller said after the Michigan State game last week -- the one in which fifth-year senior Casey Welch kicked the game-winning 18-yarder -- that he may use Welch from kicks inside 30 yards and use Summers for longer kicks. But he backed off that statement a bit this week, saying he thinks he just may stay with Summers full-time.
Not only field goals will be altered today, though.
An Illinois player was kicking off in pregame warmups and barely got the ball to the 20 into the wind. Certainly punts could be affected as well.
Special teams could be quite a big factor today.

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

What to watch vs. Michigan State

I'm interested to see how play-caller Bill Legg will attack Michigan State's defense.
The Spartans play almost entirely nickel (one extra defensive back), which would seem to open up running lanes. Purdue's offensive line and running backs struggled a bit last week against Penn State in terms of identifying blitzes and giving quarterback Curtis Painter time in the pocket. But I still think this line is one of the best in the Big Ten, and it should be able to handle Michigan State.
I'd like to see more option. With only two linebackers on the field, it could be a tough match-up for the Spartans. Even if they bring a cornerback down to the line, I think that favors Purdue. Kory Sheets, Jaycen Taylor and Dorien Bryant -- all options for the pitch -- can easily take a cornerback on the edge.
Purdue doesn't have stats on this, but it certainly doesn't seem that Legg has run on consecutive first and second downs much all season. Perhaps Saturday is the time for that.

-- By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette