Here's What Matt Painter Said on Dan Dakich's Radio Show Wednesday
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter joined Dan Dakich on his daily radio show on Wednesday afternoon, and he had a lot to say.
He talked about the recent transfers of Matt Haarms and Nojel Eastern, who played 102 and 104 games respectively for Painter. Haarms transferred to BYU and Eastern entered the transfer portal on Tuesday.
If you weren't able to listen, here are the highlights of what he had to say:
— Painter on "getting the phone call''
"It's like the kiss of death when you get that text that says, 'hey coach, you got a minute?' You just know. He's going to transfer. It isn't hard to figure out. When you've been doing it for 30 years, it's not hard to figure out.
— on what Eastern misses out on by leaving Purdue
"We're going to move on. We've got a lot of great things going on at Purdue, and it's his loss. When you walk out the door and you turn your back, you're not thinking clearly about the big picture and what Purdue can do for you.
"I didn't deserve all this (after graduating from Purdue), but it's the power of being at a great institution and being loyal. It's hard, man. Life is not like a walk in the park. But the ones that stay positive and push forward, they're the ones who are successful in the long run.''
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- WILL EASTERN PLAY?: Noel Eastern has been getting a lot of bad advice lately, and if his transfer waiver doesn't go through, what's next? CLICK HERE
- IZZO DEFENDS PAINTER: Michigan State coach Tom Izzo defended the way Matt Painter handled the departure of two transfers. CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: What's wrong at Purdue, you ask? Sports Illustrated Purdue columnist Tom Brew says absolutely nothing. CLICK HERE
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— Painter's feelings on Haarms and Eastern
"I love those guys, and I mean that about both of those guys. But when it's obviously not better for you academically or basketball-wise, I feel for them. Matt was going to do that, but he also got his degree from Purdue. Jelly is walking out of here without his degree. That's not smart, but I'm really biased.
"Still, you might have gotten your degree from Purdue, but you're not a Boilermaker if you walk out the door in the end.
— If there's something wrong at Purdue
"What's going on at Purdue? Nothing's going on at Purdue. To me, it's all about competition. Mason Gillis and Brandon Newman, they redshirted last year and I really like them. Ethan Morton, he's the best passer I've ever recruited. Jaden Ivey, he's really good. I like where we are, and I like what we're doing.
"A lot of times, it just comes down to competition. Matt, in the simplest terms, we tried to play those two guys together (Haarms and Trevion Williams) and it didn't work. That's competition, and Trevion was playing better. With Nojel, somebody's not playing. They decide that, not me. It's competitive. If you don't want to be here, the door swings both ways.
"When you get on teams, it doesn't matter. You're still going to harp on the same things. Everyone has to sacrifice in a team sport to have success.
— on players not seeing the big picture
"Matt Haarms is a good guy. Nojel Eastern is a good guy. They want something else out there, and it's not magical. Sometimes it's effort and results. I don't doubt effort, but you've got to have results. If you can't, I feel you. Because I wasn't better than a lot of guards that I had to play against, but I didn't run around blaming Gene Keady because I couldn't guard Calbert Cheaney and Jim Jackson.
"They don't get the big picture of how good you have to be (to make the NBA) and how hard you have work to get there.
"They really want the truth. They have a dream, but I always tell them when I recruit them, you've got to have a dream with education and a dream with basketball. It's a business, you've got to be productive, and you've got to work.
— on players not working hard enough
"They've seen Biggie Swanigan and Carsen Edwards. They worked. And these guys, they see what it looks like. Do you work harder than them, and they know they don't.
"You've got to dominate college basketball or bring something that really translates to that next level. Let's work toward that instead of talking toward that. Think big picture and think development and think getting better. That's how it works.''
Full interview here
- LISTEN HERE: Here is the complete interview between Purdue coach Matt Painter and 1070 T he Fan's Dan Dakich from Wednesday afternoon. CLICK HERE
Related stories on Purdue basketball
- EASTERN ENTERS TRANSFER PORTAL: Purdue guard Nojel Eastern has told Purdue that he is entering the NCAA transfer portal. CLICK HERE
- HAARMS TRANSFERS TO BYU: Purdue center Matt Haarms has decided to continue his college career at BYU. CLICK HERE
- KEADY ENJOYING RETIREMENT: Former Purdue basketball coach Gene Keady enjoys golf these days, along with his occasional visits back to West Lafayette. And he's still one of the game's greatest storytellers. CLICK HERE
- DANIELS WANTS STUDENTS BACK: Purdue president Mitch Daniels says he wants students back on campus in the fall. CLICK HERE
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Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who's worked at some America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Indianapolis Star. He also owns the book publishing company, Hilltop30 Publishing Group, and he has written four books and published 16 others.