The last time Purdue basketball made it to the Final Four, the US hockey team knocked off Russia in the Olympics, Pac-Man was released in Japan, CNN was launched, the music world lost John Lennon and head coach Matt Painter wasn’t quite 10 years old.
The year was 1980 and for the first time in 44 years, Purdue basketball has fans all abuzz about what could be for the Boilermakers, who are one win away from the Final Four in Phoenix. Standing in Purdue basketball’s way is a familiar foe in Tennessee today.
And, while recent tournament history has not been nice to the Boilermakers, Purdue basketball head coach Matt Painter full understands what it would mean for Purdue to punch its ticket. Painter was a player, assistant coach and now the head coach of the Boilermakers, and he knows just what a national title would mean to the West Lafayette school.
“Oh, it would be huge. It’s been our goal to win a National Championship. We feel like we’re halfway there. We’ve worked really hard for it. As you’re referencing too, we’ve had some disappointing losses in the NCAA Tournament. You want to rectify that. You want to use that as motivation. I think we’ve done that and just keep playing good basketball,” Painter told the media Saturday.
Painter has built Purdue basketball the right way
For 19 seasons, Painter has paced the sidelines for Purdue basketball, building a program that is not only one of the best in the Big Ten, but across the nation.
And, he has done it without losing himself in the process, even if that means not yelling and screaming like other coaches may do.
“I’m someone that doesn’t yell and scream all the time also. I still think you can have discipline that way. But you shouldn’t be rewarded for doing what you’re supposed to do. Like staying up here and saying, hey, we do things the right way. You hear those coaches say that. You’re supposed to do things the right way. You shouldn’t get an award for that,” Painter said.
The veteran coach said what has been frustrating has been watching those who win at all costs be rewarded and propped up on a pedestal. The Purdue basketball coach believes there should be consequences when those instances take place.
“But there should be consequences for the people in our business that don’t, and that gets pretty frustrating when we don’t have a governing body that can handle situations like that. That’s what’s frustrating. Because you’re supposed to be setting a great example for these guys right here, not to have a great basketball career, but to have a better life because of the opportunity of a scholarship. You have to stand for something and be able to do things the right way, and if you get your ass kicked and you lose, so be it. But we glorify too many people who just win at all cost. I think it’s important for these guys to understand that,” Painter said.
Painter admits he learned how to conduct himself and build a program from Purdue legendary coach Gene Keady.
“The guy I played for called it be a company man. Learn to be a company man. If you’re going to leave here and go to an NBA organization or go play overseas or work for Eli Lilly, go do what’s best for that organization or company. If you can do that and put your best foot forward, good things are going to happen,” Painter said.
The pressure is there for Painter, Purdue basketball
Painter is the first to admit it — he feels the pressure that comes with expectations of winning when Purdue has the reigning Player-of-the-Year and is back-to-back Big Ten champions.
“I feel it. I was a Purdue basketball player and a Purdue fan, then I was a Purdue assistant coach, now I’m the Purdue head coach. Everyone feels it. No different than rooting for the Cubs. You just want it. That’s your passion. I’m a little bit different towards the Cubs than probably people are towards me because I understand there’s tough decisions to be made, and it’s hard, and it’s competition, and there’s a lot of people out there. Yeah, I think we feel it just like them because we pull for Purdue. We pull for other sports at Purdue. We want to see Purdue well. Yeah, it’s been a long time since we’ve been to a Final Four, and we’d like to be able to accomplish that. But we know Tennessee’s in the way and they have a great team, and we’re going to have to play well.”
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