Former Rutgers Guard Geo Baker Shouts Out Purdue, Matt Painter
Former Rutgers guard Geo Baker played against a lot of great teams and coaches during his time in the Big Ten. He remembers fondly — or perhaps it was not-so-fondly — of the matchups against Purdue and coach Matt Painter.
Purdue assistant PJ Thompson recently made comments in a podcast appearance about how Painter has evolved as a coach from a schematic standpoint, as well as from the players' perspective. After listening to the clip of Thompson, Baker fired off a complimentary post on social media.
"Truly one of the best in the business," Baker wrote. "Playing against Purdue always felt like a chess match."
Truly one of the best in the business. Playing against Purdue always felt like a chess match. https://t.co/JiS5L5jGgj
— Geo Baker (@Geo_Baker_1) October 3, 2024
Thompson raved about Painter's willingness to adjust schematically. Even though he's a 20-year veteran at Purdue, he's still modifying his system to best fit his players.
"A lot of older coaches, they get a stigma of, 'They're stuck in their own ways, they're still running the same concepts, they haven't evolved schematically,'" Thompson said. "I've seen (Painter) do that from a schematics standpoint.
"I think we run more ball screens now for Braden Smith and the ball is in his hands more than any point guard in Purdue history. I think it's in his hands more than it was for Jaden Ivey. Jaden Ivey was a top-five pick in the draft. ... I think from a schematics standpoint, I think Coach Paint is one of the best in the country."
Painter has also changed his coaching style to fit his players on a more personal level. He's not implementing the same practice styles that he had in place 10 years ago.
"I've also seen him adjust to the kids. The kids are different," Thompson said. "These kids may need more hands-on attention. We don't condition anymore. He does it through basketball.
"When I played, we would run miles and do a mile's worth of sprinting on the court and then we'd do an hour individual playing one-on-one full-court defense. He's evolved and changed in a lot of different ways and I think he's still one of the best in the business because of it.
"He's a Hall of Famer."
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