Subscribe
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Apts
Classifieds
Shop
They might not be the guys getting mentioned for All-Big Ten honors or named to preseason watch lists.
Some might not even recognize Mark Wohlford, Ryne Smith, Kelsey Barlow, D.J. Byrd and Patrick Bade without their Purdue jerseys, but the sixth-ranked Boilermakers know plenty about their bench after a three-game run to winning the Paradise Jam championship in the Virgin Islands this week.
Namely, it’s legit.
Senior Wohlford, sophomore Smith and freshmen Barlow, Byrd and Bade delivered in different ways to help secure an early-season title that included a 73-72 victory over No. 10 Tennessee on Monday in the title game.
In that game, Barlow missed two free throws that could have sealed a victory but responded by snatching a rebound in the final seconds. He had six rebounds in the game.
Smith had a career-high 16 points and two steals in 15 minutes against St. Joseph’s in the semifinal, the same game Wohlford hit two threes and had a career-high 10 points.
“When those guys come in, it’s all about being ready,” senior guard Chris Kramer said. “You never know when your number is going to get called, but you have to be in the game and ready to come in and step up and help your team out. All those guys did. We have a lot of guys who can come in and play.”
Last season, the Boilermakers were about eight players deep, using Nemanja Calasan and Marcus Green as top reserves in the frontcourt and Keaton Grant in the backcourt.
There are more options now. So when JaJuan Johnson and Bade, the team’s tallest players, both fouled out with about 3 minutes left against Tennessee, there wasn’t panic. Or when forward Robbie Hummel played only 48 minutes combined in the first two games in St. Thomas, coach Matt Painter didn’t hesitate to go to the bench.
“I really think we realized how deep we are,” Smith said. “That will help us out in the long run with fatigue and when the starters get tired. It’ll be helpful for us to come off the bench and bring energy.”
It’s a boost that the reserves haven’t just produced against lower-tier opponents.
“I was thinking the other day that I’m glad to get this Tennessee game out of my system, the first Top-25 team we played against, it was a real intense game,” Smith said. “I was a little nervous to start the game, so hopefully I’m not the next time we play a team like that down the road.”
