Purdue Boilermakers
Overall Rank: #24
Conference Rank: #4 Big Ten
Purdue Team Page
Following another Big Ten Tournament title in 2013, Purdue was looking poised to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. But after the Boilermakers passed Liberty with no trouble in the first round, Purdue ran into a hot Louisville team. That put an early end to their NCAA Tournament, but Coach Sharon Versype will have her team back in the mix in 2014.
2012-13 Record: 25-9, 10-6
2012-13 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Sharon Versyp
Coach Record: 161-79 at Purdue, 278-144 overall
Strengths:
The backcourt is absolutely loaded. Courtney Moses led the Boilermakers with 13.3 points per game and connected on 40.1 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc. She also hit 92.6 percent of her free-throw shots. When Moses is knocking down her shots, which is much of the time, she is one of the more difficult players to defend in the Big Ten. KK Houser will team up with Moses in the backcourt. The 5-6 senior is another consistent shooter and dynamic scorer, but Houser also dished out 4.7 assists per game. However, turnovers were a problem and that does need to be addressed. Dee Dee Williams is often the overlooked starter since the 6-0 senior does not put up huge numbers, but she is a versatile guard who does much of the dirty work. Sophomore April Wilson showed potential as a freshman and proved to be a good shooter off of the bench. Expect Wilson to fill that role once again. However, incoming freshman Ashley Morrissette will vie for major minutes. The reigning Ms. Basketball from the state of Ohio is a big-time scorer. She could crack the starting five if Coach Versyp can play small, but Morrissette will at least play a large role off of the bench right away.
Weaknesses:
Unfortunately for Purdue, all of the experience is in the backcourt. The frontcourt lost starters Drey Mingo and Sam Ostarello, Mingo averaged 12.2 points per game and Ostarello nearly averaged a double-double, totaling 9.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. Those two also accounted for 79 of the team’s 127 blocks. Losing Mingo and Ostarello would be tough enough, but the Boilermakers plan to rely on would-be sophomore Taylor Manuel fell through. After a very promising freshman campaign, Manuel opted to transfer and that leaves the Boilermakers with very, very few experienced options. Whitney Bays, a transfer from Maryland who sat out last season, will be asked to do a lot this year. The 6-2 forward has not played much due to the transfer and a knee injury. But she did suit up for the Terrapins in 2011-2012 and showed potential. Now that potential has to turn into production. Purdue may be forced to play small at times and the minutes will have to increase for players like Camille Redmon, Liza Clemons and Joslyn Massey.
Final Projection:
Incoming freshman Bridget Perry plays like a guard, and is listed as a guard, but at 6-2 she has the size to fill in up front. If Purdue can stay tough on the glass, even when playing small, they will compete for a Big Ten title. It will take some time to fill in the new faces up front, yet Moses and Houser can carry this team in the meantime and that should be enough to at least get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
KK Houser, Senior, Guard, 11.3 points per game
Courtney Moses, Senior, Guard, 13.3 points per game
April Wilson, Sophomore, Guard, 5.4 points per game
Dee Dee Williams, Senior, Guard, 3.4 points per game
Whitney Bays, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 67.9 (60th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 61.4 (164, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.5 (24, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.0 (143, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.3 (126, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.9 (13, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.8 (13, 2)
Rebound Margin: 3.7 (71, 3)
Assists Per Game: 16.0 (20, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 17.5 (204, 9)
Madness 2013 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#129 Bridget Perry
See All Top 44 Women’s Basketball Previews
