As AJ Hammons Turns...

First appeared on January 17th, 2014
in The Lebanon Reporter

Potential. It’s such an enigmatic term. And as a rule, throughout history, in most credible walks of life and the marriages of at least one part time pretend sports columnist, ‘potential’ doesn’t get one very far.

Yet potential can mean everything to sports fans. You see a 6’7 Adonis-in-Jumpman shorts with the wingspan of Christ the Redeemer (yes Jay Bilas, we said wingspan) grab a nickel off the top of the backboard and immediately people are talking Championship.
But does potential really exist, or is it simply a term used to describe anything that’s underperforming? Few will argue the massive ‘potential’ Purdue’s sophomore center AJ Hammons possesses and Boiler fans will testify unanimously that, when AJ wants to play, he’s capable of completely transforming the make-up of Purdue’s team.

Many a late night has been spent by a bleary eyed Matt Painter, scouring EBAY for a Tyler Hansbrough-like motor he can score on the cheap. For he knows, if such a motor were propelling Hammons’, Purdue wouldn’t lose another game; ever. Well, at least not until he graduates or enters the NBA draft, the latter of which appears most likely to occur first.

What really exists is Hammons 7’0, 250 pound frame and wingspan; one rivaling a small single engine Cessna (yes Jay, that’s massive). In fact no player in the Big Ten, NCAA, or most of the NBA’s Eastern Conference for that matter, is capable of stopping an engaged AJ Hammons. The part where Matt Painter’s head begins to reunite with the locker room wall repeatedly is Hammons’ play, which was integral in Purdue’s road victory at Illinois Wednesday night but has been noticeably inconsistent.

Painter’s group garnered no preseason attention and, with Sparty still chugging along strong, Wisconsin entering conference play undefeated and Iowa busy opening eyes nationally, Purdue remains firmly entrenched under the radar. Despite this, Painter has quietly put together a promising freshman class.

Fort Wayne’s Bryson Scott leads the Boilers in steals while Basil Smotherman (Lawrence North) is a slippery wing capable of making heady plays. These two join a pair of transplants from the Land of Lincoln in Jay Simpson, a punishing 6-10 Red Shirt, and Kendall Stephens, who leads the team in three pointers and enters with the added pressure of being the son of Boilermaker legend Everett Stephens.

Clearly young talent abounds in Painter’s stable, but these pieces are rendered moderately ineffective when Hammons is battling fouls or taking one of his frustratingly frequent breaks from playing inspired basketball. The obvious elephant in the room is the fact Hammons appears to be everything Matt Painter never even wanted in a basketball player. A fondness for high energy, hustle guys who play their guts out has become Painter’s calling card and to this point Hammons simply doesn’t play his guts out that much, if ever.

His size, brute strength and wingspan (put the tape measure away Jay) makes it possible for him to dominate without, you know, breaking a sweat or increasing his resting heart rate. Hammons came into the Illinois game averaging just south of 10 points and 7 rebounds a game. Wednesday night NBA Scouts could only drool longingly as Painter’s pivot scored 17 points, grabbed 8 boards and rejected 3 shots, including a late run where he scored on an offensive rebound before notching a key blocked shot to help seal the win.

So as Painter labors to restore relevance to his program amidst a Big Ten season that can be brutally long, he does so knowing full well this particular season, much like Hammons, is chocked full of potential.


© 2013 Eric Walker Williams

Purdue Suffocatingly Stellar in Win

First appeared on January 5th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

With everything that happened over the weekend, Mike Leach’s firing, Ohio State winning the Rose Bowl, Tim Tebow playing his last college game (in which we saw the glass slipper finally fall off Cinderella’s hairy Bearcat foot) and our beloved Colts performing another stirring rendition of “Lay Down Sally”, Purdue’s performance in Mackey Arena Saturday against West Virginia was understandably lost in the shuffle.
While both teams rode in to West Lafayette with undefeated records, by the midway point of the second half one had to wonder if the Mountaineers wouldn’t be heading back to the Blue Ridge Mountains via stretcher. With 1993-94’s 14-0 start squarely in their sights, it would appear the Big Dog’s leash is about out of rope as a new generation of Boilermaker basketball is busy chasing history.
Simply put, Purdue did what Purdue does, they defended West Virginia 94 feet for 40 minutes. And they don’t merely guard you, they harass you. They hound you. They are in your shorts the minute you break the team huddle. They are tough. They are physical. They are well coached and they are relentless. And just when you think you have turned a corner and beaten your man to the basket for an easy score, like a high-dollar Vegas magic act, somebody ALWAYS appears from the weak side to deflect the shot or take a charge.
When ESPN Jay Bilas said Purdue was simply “outtoughing” West Virginia Saturday, it became clear he was so inspired by what he saw that he turned to using words nobody ever uses to describe it.
Handing the ball to officials and cheering for their teammates from the sidelines may give the appearance that Purdue is a clean cut and proper bunch, but they’re not the type of Boy Scouts who would help an old lady cross the street. They’d rather take a charge from a speeding bus to be certain she gets herself and her groceries home in one piece.
To borrow a page out of the Jay Bilas playbook, the Boilers were “suffocatingly” stellar in their win on Saturday. Not only were they outstanding defensively, the key to their performance against West Virginia was the fact that the Boilers shot the ball very well too. Coming in to Saturday’s game Purdue was shooting 45% as a team from the field, this included 31% from three point range. Saturday the Boilers fired 50% from the field including a blistering 60% from behind the arc in the second half.
Unappealing but effective, Purdue’s style is a lot like Picasso’s painting. The first impression is that both are relatively ugly, but true art aficionados and fans who understand basketball appreciate each for their individual beauty.
With this year’s Final Four just a few miles down the road in Indianapolis, Purdue may be able to save some money on Expedia by booking their hotel rooms now. For, even with speedy point guard Lewis Jackson out for the season following foot surgery, the Boilers showed Saturday they still have everything they need to make a run to Indianapolis.
For the most part on Saturday West Virginia appeared as if they didn’t have any business being on the floor with Purdue. But before we go feeling sorry for head coach Bob Huggins let’s understand, barring another key injury, Purdue has enough talent and tenacity to make their way to Indianapolis come March. And that should be enough to keep Boiler fans everywhere dancing; even the Big Dog himself.