Why Peck Matters

According to GBI, Painter and Purdue might not be, dare we say, are probably not done picking up transfers who can play next season. Having five guys leave the roster for one reason or another can be tough on a program...BUT, having the right guys stick around is absolutely imperative.

J talked a bit about Peck's decision last week.  I didn't have the chance to weigh in as I was traveling and didn't have the ability to post...but this will probably be the last post about Errick Peck road to Purdue and potential impact.

Errick Peck wisely chose to come to Purdue around the middle of last week and will be a good fit.  There's really no second-guessing that- A smart, versatile player who can run the floor and works hard is never a bad thing. A person who gets good grades and and is described as a very, very, very good kid (according to multiple sources) is generally not bad for chemistry.  Atop of that, Peck chose Purdue because he likes the place, likes the coaches, likes the guys on the team and feels that he plays better in front of his family...which is an hour South of God's country.

This Purdue team needed, really needed Peck for multiple reasons; many we've talked about over the last few weeks.  I've heard some Purdue fans try to minimize the importance of an ex-Ivy league player that averaged 10 pts/game...and I've heard others nearly guarantee Purdue will be in B1G conference championship contention because of the addition of the 6'6" Indianapolis native. The reality of Peck's impact on this team will probably fall in between these two forecasts.

Will Peck wear the historically-significant #13 for the black and gold?

Peck's FG % is in the top 4 of Purdue's returning roster, his 3-point % and rebounds per game are both in in the top-3 on the roster, and his free throw shooting % is in the top-2. 

But outside of the statistics and in addition to the win/loss record, Peck's decision matters for less-obvious reasons.  Having a good locker room guy, a solid teammate and someone who will do whatever he's asked to do makes everyone better: Running practices should be a bit easier for the coaching staff and just coming into Mackey for meetings and practices might be better for players if the team's chemistry improves because of this addition and other subtractions.

But the long term effect of Peck to the program is something that I hope helps the coaching staff go after, and more-importantly, land guys that fit the program. Don't get me wrong, I still want and expect to see highly-rated players coming to play for Painter...and if you want and hope for Purdue to make another Final Four before you die, this is an essential part of that expectation.  A good fit for the program isn't necessarily the best basketball player available.  A good fit for the program IS a guy who can play the game (obviously), but really wants to play for Purdue and who understands what the Purdue program is all about.

Purdue fans, myself included, have openly expressed their concern with the lifeblood of the program- recruiting. But even the most critical fan should see that recruiting efforts are trending upward.  The class of 2012 averaged 4.0 stars and the class of '13 is just below that (if Jay Simpson is now counted in that class)...and I'm not sure how many stars a Senior transfer who might average 10 points and 5 rebounds would garner, but landing Peck is nothing to sneeze at.

I still believe that RayDay will benefit from Peck's transfer more than anyone on the team as the wily veteran will be able to teach him a thing or two as they square off in practice; Time will tell if this prediction pans out.

The field for the 97th Indy 500 is set

My son and I got to spend most of Saturday at IMS and were able to watch a bunch of action as we

dodged showers, worked around his baseball schedule and enjoyed a get-together with our family (today). If you don't like IndyCar or any racing, this post won't interest you...but J should have a curling playoff post up soon as the general public demands it to be so.

There weren't a ton of surprises at the track this weekend...but one of the few shockers was atop the board.  Ed Carpenter has always been pretty fast at Indy, but I thought Andretti or Penske would place one of their drivers on the pole; Carpenter would have none of that.

Andretti Motorsport has been fast all month...and they were still fast on Saturday, but Carpenter was faster.  Carpenter is a guy that Indianapolis likes.  Indy loves Kanaan because he's in the line of Raul Boesel and Scott Goodyear; He's been good-to-great at the 500, but hasn't gotten his likeness on the Borg Warner (yet).  When he took the lead last year, the crowd erupted. But Carpenter's a bit different because he's everyman...kinda.

Carpenter graduated from Butler and calls Indy his home...and Donald Davidson calls him a throwback driver because he doesn't run the full circuit, lives in Indy, isn't a rockstar and is a family man. In fact, I have been at a playground with one of my kids and Carpenter was there with his.  Without a sleek machine moving at a high rate of velocity, or a fire suit or bobble head-like helmet on his dome, he's an average Joe.

But he's in the line of John Andretti- he's got connections that surely don't hurt him...in fact, just like Andretti's name allowed him to have a longer career than most drivers with his record of success, Carpenter's stepdad, Tony George, has helped his career along...but merely having a famous name or money behind you doesn't guarantee that you can go fast (ammiright, Kyle Petty? You're welcome NASCAR fans).

Carpenter triumphed in the gimmicky, but entertaining, Fast 9 format on Saturday...so he will lead rookie Carlos Munoz, of the Andretti stable, and Marco Andretti in the front row.  Andretti landing on the front row wasn't surprising...Michael's son not being P1 was.  Munoz handling the pressure and changing conditions was also a little surprising...but Chevy power plus talented engineers and crews leads to success this year at the brickyard.

It's pretty obvious that Chevy power has a bit of an unfair advantage this year...you have to go all the way to Taglian, starting in 11th position, to find the first Honda powerplant in the field. Maybe Hondas will better better in traffic a week from now; at this point we don't know. What we do know is that the best-prepared, best-trained Hondas in the field, those of Ganassi's team, will do everything possible to be in contention around lap 200...and I'd be pretty shocked if Dixon's fuel management or Franchitti's savvy style don't land either or both of them in the top-5.  But my darkhorse is Ryan Briscoe. Hey- a true darkhorse shouldn't have high expectations (check), shouldn't be a media darling (check) and should be generally quiet and steady during the practices leading up to the race (check).

Briscoe has seemed like a guy who's lost his confidence, at least from an outsiders view, for a while now.  But he has a ton of ability...he's finished in the top-5 at Indy multiple times and is on a Ganassi team; they know how to win here.

Buddy Lazier made the field...kinda by default.  The only good thing about him being in this field is that he's a pretty steady guy behind the wheel who doesn't make many mistakes.  I think he'll struggle on race day since he no longer races regularly and doesn't have a full-time team behind him. The good news is that he's at the back of the field, so he won't get in the way as some of the low-qualified madmen make moves early to get up front.  Look for Sato, Rahal and Saavedra to all make a mad dash forward...at the same time, Bell, Briscoe and Pagenaud will patiently pick their spots and move up.  Both groups, of course, will need to have a bit of luck on their side.

The guy that makes the most-nervous at the top of the field is Munoz because of something he did yesterday in practice- he attempted to pass Tony Kanaan down low...a similar move put Sato into the wall late in last year's race; but Sato had the good sense to wait until late in the race to try something like that. Viso and Allmendinger also make me a bit nervous up in the top two rows; not because they can't drive fast, but because patience isn't either of their strengths...and they'll be surrounded by some stone-cold assassins.

The field is deep with talent- former NASCAR, CART, IndyCar, F3 and F1 winners and contenders are sprinkled throughout the field.  A few IndyLights up-and-comers, a few guys that seem to just look and feel like future greats and a handful of hall-of-famers make up the majority of the field. There was no bumping on Sunday; only 34 car/driver combos were even available...but Jourdain's car was a dog and neither he nor Graham Rahal could squeeze enough speed out of it as it dragged on the ground (literally) with suspension problems during Sunday afternoon practice laps.

I would have loved to see Busch or Tony Stewart cross over into the series and try to enter a DW12 chassis into the field...I'd love to see someone like Hamilton or Massa take a crack at this circuit.  But as we all know, the money in the league isn't like it was in the late 80s early 90s, so those types of crossovers aren't likely.  But on the other end of the spectrum, a gun-shy Mike Conway or Dr. Jack Miller-type of entry didn't bump anybody out either...and mercifully, there are no Lotus entries.

Sure, I miss the days in which Bump Day was furious with activity as 40 cars scrambled for 33 spots...I also miss having hair on the top of my head; times change.

The field has been more star-studded than 2013's, and has been much weaker as well; but right now, IndyCar is a good product. Races are competitive, talent level is high and the product is entertaining. Sorry NASCAR fans- I know there isn't enough rubbing, blocking, competitions yellows or teaming up for your liking, but that's why there are multiple leagues. There's something out there for everybody, I guess.

I'm looking forward to next Sunday as Indianapolis does what it does best- Entertaining hundreds of thousands of guests from out of town, as the world watches.

Peck Chooses Purdue

A week ago, boilerdowd wrote about Cathedral alum (and now Cornell alum) Errick Peck potentially transferring to Purdue to play his fourth year of college eligibility. It became official yesterday, as Peck will sign on to do some grad school in West Lafayette and play a year of ball for our Boilermakers.

This works out due to NCAA rules that allow Peck to play a year at a place like Purdue as a result of the fact that he'll have graduated from Cornell but only played three years of basketball there because of a knee injury that cost him a full season. So on that front, Peck fits right in to the pantheon of knees.

One thing B-dowd did mention in passing in his column about this was the face that Peck and Barlow knew one another in high school, but that he didn't think Painter should let that be an issue. It sounds like Matt Painter did indeed look past such potential influences, because Peck even mentioned Kelsey when announcing his decision to choose Purdue:

“In the end, I think Purdue fit me just a bit better. Plus, with (former Boilermaker) Kelsey Barlow and I having played together in high school, I always watched them in the tournament and kind of followed them from afar. But when I was at Cornell, I really focused more on myself and my studies. That took enough time in and of itself.”

I'm not sure if we should be concerned. I don't think we should. This is a guy who played for Cornell seemingly without incident. In addition, he's graduating from Cornell which, yeah, I know athletes do get something of an easier road most likely, but it's not like the easy road we know it could be at some D-1 programs.

Jeff Washburn's column for the J&C quotes 2009 Indiana All-Star boys basketball team coach David Wood of West Lafayette as saying that Errick Peck is "the guy you win with." Wood also calls Peck a "first class human being" and "a really, really good young man." Wood also mentions that:

"From a basketball standpoint, he will bring versatility. He can go out on the floor, and he can bang down low. He also will bring physical strength. He is a guy who can guard a power forward or a small forward. He can make an 18-foot shot, which is good, because this is a Purdue team that can use guys who put the ball in the basket."

Yes, David, we know.

Given the preponderance of underclassmen on the 2013-14 basketball roster, a guy with experience, leadership qualities and, oh yeah, talent is something that is very welcome. He obviously won't have enough time in God's country to become a fan favorite the way four and five year players have. However, can he fill the role of recent leaders like Rob Hummel, Ryne Smith, Chris Kramer and others in terms of leading by example and putting in the work so that others take notice? We hope so and look forward to seeing Errick in Black and Old Gold.

Choo choo.

[We'll return you to your regularly scheduled coveraging of Formula 1 racing shortly.]

Peeking through the fence at IMS

Bourdais leads Andretti in two of the nearly 2,300 laps turned today at IMS
(Greg Griffo photo credit)

Weeks like this are the times it kinda stinks to be a grown up.

The weather was about perfect in Central Indiana today...it felt like a day to go to the track, do a little homework before pole day and learn some of the new paint jobs and driver/car combos.  BUT, work has me traveling for he next few days, so in preparation, I was kinda strapped to my desk today.

As a band-aid to my jonesing to get to the West side of Indy, I put the webcast up in the background of my computer and kinda paid attention to the cars as some found speed, and others are still struggling to find it.

The Team Andretti duo of Hinchcliff and Marco Andretti took turns in a few cars as they tested different set-ups, and I believe, broke in a freshly-leased engine.  Hunter-Reay, Castroneves and Hildebrand all were near the top of the speed charts today, with laps just under Hinchcliff's tow-aided 224+ lap.

It was heartening for me to see Hildebrand and Sato up near the top- as I said today via Twitter, I'd like to see both of those guys get near to their strong showings in the last two years at the most-famous race course in the world.  Another year of experience is under each of their belts, and they both have solid cars underneath them...and they're both staying in the top-10 for speed so far.

Andretti looks like a guy with as much momentum as anyone at this point; Second place in the point standings, a more calm, mature approach, and as always, a great team behind him.  Plus, he's raced strong at Indy.  He's also made awful mistakes here too...but we're not going to focus on that right now.

I was a Mario Andretti guy growing up.  Being a Purdue fan and a Mario fan, at least at Indy, taught me a lot of lessons for later in life; hard lessons: Never get your hopes up too high. Nothing's over until it's over...and don't cry in public.

Now, I've never liked Michael or Marco like I liked their Dad/Grandpa. Like the second generation Rahal, these legacies always have given off the idea of entitlement to me...They whine, they don't have a cool Italian accent...lots going against them.

All that said, I'd love to see Marco win at Indy and break the Andretti curse.

Conversely, I'm OK with not seeing Power or Castroneves win it.  Power typically finds himself in the wrong place/wrong time at Indy time and again...Castroneves overly-emotional bit has become tiresome for me. Plus, I don't wanna see he or Franchetti join the truly-elite crowd with four Indy victories.

Lemme scratch that- now that Ashley Judd is not prancing around pit row, I'd be OK with the second Flying Scotsman winning a fourth race, but I'll be rooting for Dixon or even Briscoe, out of the same stable to do it instead.

Back when I was a kid, I'd rush home during the month of May and watch Legends of the Brickyard on EsPN.  Going to the track with some regularity made me a fan of the race, watching that show brainwashed me, moving out of the state cemented my feelings for IndyCar racing (even in the dark days after the split)...and once again, this May makes me feel like a kid as the race approaches with not enough fanfare (in my opinion), but a few weeks of practice will have to do.

The days of 40+ driver/car combos competing for 33 spots seems to be a thing of the past, sadly. But, hearing drivers from other circuits sniffing around for rides always makes me nostalgic.  Even if it's an unlikable Busch brother testing a car, I still love reading drivers say how special of a place Indy is for them...not turning laps in a big, clunky, fendered car...but a sleek, low (partially) open-wheel machine...that's Indy.

Much like J had a podcast with a fellow hockey fan a few days ago, I plan on having one or two in the coming weeks, but about IndyCar, and specifically the Indy 500. We'll see how schedules line up, and if you care to tune in, pay attention to this site and Twitter for scheduling details.

The Pacers won today and took a commanding 3-1 lead over (formerly) J's Knicks.  I was happy to see it, but didn't care too much.  As I wrote a few days ago, I've kinda grown apart from the NBA (it's not me, David Stern, it's you).

BUT, in spite of stupid business moves and diminished popularity of IndyCar racing, I haven't grown out of my love for this sport...nor this event.  It's my city's crown jewel...it's something the rest of the world truly knows my hometown for...and it's truly an amazing spectacle that never disappoints me.

Purdue Basketball Non-Con Unveiled; Critics Yawn

The 2013-2014 men's basketball schedule is coming into focus, way out there on the horizon, and it's been met with little fanfare, given the opponents this year.

For example, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Boilers get underwhelming Boston College. Now, don't misunderstand: I'm not saying they're underwhelming in the sense that Purdue will have no trouble with them. I'm just saying that even if Purdue wins by 30, it's not going to register much of a blip on the consciousness of college basketball fans. By comparison, last year's pounding of Clemson actually did get some attention and made people -- including us -- think the Boilers were turning a bit of a corner. Sadly, around that corner was an alley with locked doors and mean street toughs waiting to beat up our Boilermakers.

Two other highlights of the pre-con schedule include a road date at West Virginia on December 21, which will be no picnic, and the Crossroads Classic in Indy against Butler on December 14. Butler, as you'll recall, came back from a large deficit to nip the Boilers in the Classic two years ago. If nothing else, playing Butler is not nearly as gnawingly irritating as playing UND or IU. Regardless of where Butler is in the national consciousness at that point, though, it would be good PR to win that game.

The Boilers are also playing in the Old Spice Classic at Thanksgiving time in Orlando, Florida. That field includes LSU, Memphis, Siena, Oklahoma State, St. Johns, Washington State and Butler. So it's conceivable that Purdue could play Butler twice in a two week span. While some will probably say that's stupid, I actually enjoy unique scheduling anomalies. That could be kind of neat. Unless, of course, the Boilers get trampled twice.

Some of the other squads in the Old Spice Classic also appear to have a chance of being competitive/significant programs in '13-'14, so another quality matchup or two could happen in the land of Mickey and Minnie in November.

As the headline notes, several outlets have sort of turned an ambivalent attitude towards the non-con schedule, which I can't completely blame them for. However, it it helps the Boilers get out to a fast start and on their way to a 20+ win season and a return to NCAA tourney action, I'm pretty sure none of us will care.

Coach Hazell's Outreach to Former Boilermaker Players

Coach Hazell continues to make the right moves, as Mike Carmin details in his post from Friday in which he shares the letter Hazell sent to former Boilermaker football players in April.

In the letter (which is here), Hazell asks former players to write a letter to the current players about what it means to play at Purdue and that he'll have the seniors read those letters to the team at camp this fall.

Hazell also makes it clear to former players that "This is your place. I want everyone who has ever played here to feel welcome. You are welcome to attend the offices, meetings, practices and any other thing you can think of."

So Brandon Hance, we're looking at you.

In Pursuit of Young Men

As you probably know, fellow Indianapolis Cathedral alum Errick Peck has his final three down to Purdue, Xavier and Duquesne...and the decision rides on upcoming visits to the latter schools.

For those of you that don't get wrapped up in recruiting- good for you.  It's a dirty, slimy business, even when it's within the rules...and it's putrid and foul when the teams that press the envelope get involved with a kid's Dad or AAU coach who is a willing dance partner.  Plus, as we all know too well, Purdue is a consummate bridesmaid in these battles; timing isn't right, player didn't receive enough love (hate that fricking phrase), or a player miraculously changes his mind due to circumstances unknown.

BUT, the Errick Peck scenario is different.  He's 21 years old, a fifth year Senior and seemingly damned important to Purdue.  Not sure if the Muskies or Dukes need him as much as Purdue right now...and am also not sure that it matters to Peck.  He's gotta do what's best for him at this point.  We talked about Peck a few weeks ago as one of the guys we wanted to see in a Purdue uni as he would check off a number of boxes that the program needs right now...but none is a bigger box than maturity; something this squad desperately needs.

Back in 2009, Peck didn't receive offers from any of the teams that he's got in his final three this time around. Butler was really the only offer of note (if you're looking at it solely from a basketball power standpoint)...But this was pre-back-to-back NCAA finals appearance Butler.  The other two offers were Missouri State and Evansville. When he weighed his options, Peck thought paying for an Ivy League education would be of some value after he was done playing basketball (weird idea, right?).

As I save for my kids' college tuition in the distant future, Purdue's nearly $10k pricetag doesn't seem like chump change.  But Cornell's $45k/year ticket is eye-popping. Keep in mind that price doesn't include room, board or tweed blazers with a crest on the breast (which I presume all Ivy League students have to wear year-round). I'm not sure exactly how much Peck and his family had to pay for his tuition per year...but it was a lot more than $0.

Peck was injured one season, played three solid years, has an Ivy League diploma and now has a chance to play in the new-fangled Big East, A10 or B1G...and potentially make an impact at any of the three programs. I'm glad Purdue's in this conversation and has a chance to land him; a character guy who's also a good basketball player isn't a bad thing for a program, even for only a season.  I have no idea if Kelsey Barlow is a close communication to Peck due to their time at Cathedral...but have read nothing that indicates they are- that can't be a negative for Painter at this point.

According to many sources I've read, Painter's pitch to Peck has been consistent with what Painter does- he makes no promises.  And unlike a typical 18 year old recruit with little life experience behind him and bad counsel whispering in his ear, Peck seems to like Painter's recruiting technique.

And speaking of that technique, the message boards have been ablaze (kinda) with the discussion of Painter as a recruiter. Plenty of Purdue fans want to see Painter stop being so honest, and maybe sugar coat the product that he's selling a bit.  I get what they're saying.

On one hand, you have "coach A" who tells a kid that he can't stop thinking about him via social networking, or that he reminds him of an NBA all-star.  On the other hand, you have a coach that refuses to promise playing time, let alone express his undying admiration for an 18 year old boy.  As a guy who is a horrible liar, I get where Painter's coming from...but as a guy who also sells business service to clients, I know that there's a time for brutal honestly, and the courting process isn't that time. Painter also should make sure not to wear the suit that looks like jeans and a khaki blazer on recruiting visits; my dead Grandpa thinks that one is out of style...I digress.

But Painter's recruiting helped him get a verbal commit from Dakota Mathias this week...that's a good thing.  Mathias isn't currently in anyone's top-150, but based on the way his young AAU season is going, he'll break into one of the recruiting service's rankings in the next few months. He's between 6'4" and 6'6" (according to different sources), is a good shooter and is out of Ohio.  He felt like Purdue was a good fit and seems to really want to play in God's country...so that's a good start.  Just as Hazell got his first '14 verbal, Mathias will be in Painter's 2014 class...but there are three or four other players who look to be Purdue leans.  We'll see who pans out in the next few months. You can be assured of one thing though- we at BS won't be too excited about any of these guys until they sign their letters of intent.

Sorry for the diversion from our normal focus, NHL hockey of course...I'll do my best to get you an update as soon as I care about it.

Coach Hazell's First 2014 Commit

Mike Carmin of the Lafayette J&C reports that Darrell Hazell's 2014 recruiting class has its first commitment, WR Trae Hart out of Texas.

Hart is going to be a senior in HS this fall. He's 5'9" and 154 lbs right now and Yahoo reports his 40 time at 4.4. Nothing wrong with speed at the wideout position.

B-dowd has pointed out in the past that one way to assess recruits (beyond star ratings, for whatever they're worth) is to take a look at their other offers. Hart's other interested suitors, to this point, were SMU, Tulas, Rice, Baylor and Texas State.

High school stats are often hard to judge, but as a junior this past season, Hart had over 2,000 receiving yards on 108 catches, along with 29 touchdowns. I'm guessing he's elusive.

Hart is a "solid verbal" at this point, obviously, since he has another year of HS to go, but congrats to Coach Hazell (and Coach Shoop) on their first 2014 recruit.