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With Purdue forwards returning, where does Basil Smotherman fit in?

Basil Smotherman redshirted last season because of a stacked Purdue frontcourt is now only slightly less stacked.
Basil Smotherman redshirted last season because of a stacked Purdue frontcourt is now only slightly less stacked.
GoldandBlack.com

More: Purdue basketball 2016-17 primer | Projected roster | Frontcourt flexibility ($)

Basil Smotherman redshirted last season because Caleb Swanigan and Vince Edwards were there to occupy Purdue's forward spots.

Now, the junior comes out of redshirt with Caleb Swanigan and Vince Edwards - both returning after flirting with the NBA -each back to occupy Purdue's forwards spots.

So what now for Smotherman?

Well, last year, the versatile forward's opportunities were capped by those in Purdue's frontcourt. That's why Smotherman approached his coaching staff about redshirting.

But now, it's technically a loss from the backcourt that might relate most directly to Smotherman: Rapheal Davis.

The loss of Purdue's foremost perimeter defensive presence opens a window of opportunity for Smotherman, an opportunity to redefine himself in hopes of filling a glaring need, an opportunity that's not been lost on the Boilermakers' most tenured player in the program now.

"I can be one of the best defensive players on this team and in the league," Smotherman said back in May, before it was known Swanigan and Edwards were returning. "I have to work on that.

"I'm a forward, but I think I can guard everybody. I think I can move my feet. I have to follow details and do little things, even when I'm tired, and grind things out."

Purdue's coaching staff has been trying to steer Smotherman — long the team's best athlete, though Edwards has closed the gap — in that direction.

Smotherman will never need for added athleticism, but rather will seek to build off it.

"Coach (Jack Owens) always comes in and says, 'Can he be like Ray? Can he be a defensive player-of-the-year?'" Smotherman said. "I feel like I can. I have to put my mind to it and just do it."

It's actually something of a similar situation to Davis, who was anything but a fearsome defender as an underclassman before improved preparation combined with athletic advances transformed him.

"Ray was always watching film. We'd be in the hotels on road trips and he'd be on his iPad looking at Melo Trimble or Denzel (Valentine), always looking at somebody and trying to learn their tendencies," Smotherman said. "He'd go ask (Kenneth Lowe) questions about guys and their tendencies. That's what the coaches want me to do, to prepare. That's what I need to do."

And Smotherman said he intends to do so, coming off a year spent idling on the sideline. He's spent his time working other portions of his skill set — jump-shooting, for one — but says defense has been an emphasis. Perhaps as a sign of his eagerness to rebrand himself on Purdue's team, Smotherman said he took an extended break from dunking during the spring.

Basil Smotherman says he's trying to redefine himself following a season spent redshirting.
Basil Smotherman says he's trying to redefine himself following a season spent redshirting.
Tom Campbell
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Smotherman hopes to prove to be a different player coming out of redshirt than he was going into it. And it should be noted that right around the time the redshirt was formalized last August, there were practices in which he in particular stood out, before a hand injury set him back.

Now, the first order of business will be to reshape his body.

As of May, the 6-foot-6 forward weighed nearly 240 pounds, admitting some of it might not have been the most productive weight. Those around him jokingly referred to him as "defensive end."

That's fitting, considering context. Smotherman's most certain path to the floor next season might be just that - the defensive end.

Minutes will be there, but it will be up to the veteran to claim them.

With A.J. Hammons leaving, Purdue doesn't have the dominant collection of size it did this past season, but with that loss comes flexibility on its front line. The expectation that Swanigan will log meaningful minutes at center opens more minutes at the forward positions, with Edwards and Smotherman each able to play either.

It may be oversimplifying it, but Smotherman will have a chance to take a bite out of the 30 minutes per game Davis vacates and draw trickle-down minutes from the 25 per game Hammons vacates at center.

"Obviously there's a lot of competition there," Coach Matt Painter said of his frontcourt, "but also I think it's a better opportunity for him there this year than it was last year."

Smotherman said the redshirt year changed him for the better and he's "hurting" for the chance to show it.

"I feel like I'm more mature now, wiser, making better decisions on the fly to try to help my teammates and help the younger guys," said Smotherman, last man standing from Purdue's three-player 2013 signing class. "And I'm still learning, learning from Biggie, learning from Ray, and trying to incorporate a leadership presence for the team this year. I'll be the oldest guy this year and I need to help Purdue basketball keep going in the right direction.

"I'm ready to play a game, itching right now. I'm ready to go back out in a Purdue jersey and give my all to Purdue."

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