Purdue basketball beats Yale using Gene Keady’s philosophy

On November 12, 2024By Littum

WEST LAFAYETTE − Gene Keady used to harp on it relentlessly, telling his Purdue basketball teams not to compound fouls.

Decades later, Keady’s successor does the same.

On Monday night, it might have given the Boilermakers a hard-fought 92-84 victory over Yale.

The situation: Myles Colvin is whistled for an offensive foul after setting a screen that appeared to be a clean play. Colvin speaks briefly before retreating to Purdue’s bench.

The turnover gives Yale the ball, trailing by six points with 3:20 left, and the Bulldogs just hit a pair of 3-pointers that briefly silenced Mackey Arena.

This is the momentum swing Yale needs and what Purdue doesn’t.

Except Matt Painter, a Keady disciple and former player for Purdue’s all-time winningest coach, reminds his team during a media timeout not to let the current situation affect the next one.

What happens next is Purdue’s defense forces Yassine Gharram into a trip.

Nine seconds later, Cam Heide is fouled and awarded an one-and-one from the free throw line. Heide calmly sinks the first, then just as smoothly does the second in his season coming out party.

Braden Smith sneaks up behind Yale’s Bez Mbeng on the inbound pass, swipes it and scores.

Yale went from having a chance to cut Purdue’s lead to one possession to being down 10 in a span of 30 seconds.

“Him (Smith) got that steal on that basket, which was a huge play for us,” Painter said. “That made it four possessions. Things still happened at the end of the game because they made plays, but that was huge. That was a huge play right there.

The Boilermakers (3-0) have been far from flawless in their three games over an eight-day span, say what you will about that, but they’ve won each by falling back on principles that have led Purdue teams to success in the last four and a half decades.

Bad teams, even average teams and probably some good teams fall apart when a call like the one Colvin was tagged with upsets things.

Some hunker down and refuse to let a referee’s decision change an outcome.

“I think it’s just using our maturity and staying poised,” Colvin said. “The older guys like Braden, Fletcher (Loyer) and Trey (Kaufman-Renn) have been through situations where they’ve been down or things haven’t gone their way and they’ve turned it around.

“It’s using them to watch and stay level and play our game.”

Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, Cam Heide and Myles Colvin on Yale win

Hear what Purdue basketball players had to say after their 92-84 win over Yale at Mackey Arena.

Painter has a phrase he often returns to when playing tough teams, such as the Yale Bulldogs.

They didn’t slip on a banana peel and make the NCAA tournament, Painter likes to say.

Well, Purdue didn’t slide into a long streak of success by accident either.

The Boilermakers make winning plays in games where they are not at their best.

Three games into the season, Purdue isn’t perfect, but its record is.

However, it will not dictate what happens next.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.