Purdue basketball has an interesting quirk that not many other schools can boast: they have consistently signed players 7’0 or taller to play center. This year will be 13 consecutive seasons in which Matt Painter has a 7-footer on the roster; often, there have been 2. The streak started with AJ Hammons in 2012-13 and will continue this season with freshman Daniel Jacobson and, of course, Stockholm native Will Berg. The red-haired Swede will be the go-to center this season, as Zach Edey will venture into the NBA. Last year, we saw Berg in garbage time minutes, where his size easily dominated some teams’ bench players. He’s still a little raw, but that’s how the cycle of Purdue greats has played out. Isaac Haas had a year to learn under AJ Hammons, then Matt Haarms learned under Haas. Even though he’s not 7 feet tall, Trevion Williams took the torch from Matt Haarms and proceeded to pass it to the best of them all, Zach Edey. The cycle is pretty simple: Come to Purdue and spend the first two years finding your footing, bulking up and absorbing everything you can from players who did the same thing. That’s pretty easy when you learn from great players and arguably the best major coach in the country, Brandon Brantley. The cycle may not be easy and often means knocking a player off his high school dominance, but it produces winners. Now it’s Will Berg’s turn to step forward in the cycle. Here’s how this offseason could totally elevate your game:
Conditioning
This is where the shock could be greatest for Will Berg. He only played in 14 games last season and averaged just under 4 minutes in those games. His minutes seem to take a big leap and Will will have to adapt. Luckily, he has had two seasons (redshirt and freshman) to work on conditioning. We saw the positive effects of a big man who can play 40 minutes with Zach Edey and while no one expects Berg to replicate that, conditioning also can’t be what gets you down when you’re at this level.
Increase the volume
Once again, Will Berg has had 2 years to work on himself and get bigger and stronger. Yes, some of that time is wasted due to a broken foot, but it’s no secret that bulking up goes a long way for these bottom guys. Whether it’s intimidating someone on the low block on offense or being a tree on defense, if Will can put more muscle on his body, his game could take off.
Free shots
Admittedly, this could be a matter of pace, as playing less than 5 minutes per game could have its effect. That being said, Will Berg shot 7-of-15 from the line last season. That number needs to improve and with more consistent playing time, he very well could. For example, when Purdue played in Europe before last season, Will shot 8 of 12 from the line in 4 games. We were pretty spoiled with Zach Edey’s ability to make free throws, but a 2-for-3 clip is pretty decent for a guy Berg’s size.
Get angry
This may seem a little strange, but Will Berg might want to find an angry switch and hit it on the court from time to time. On the track it seems that a moment of “I’m pissed and no one is going to stop me” awaits him. If you’ve ever watched Dodgeball, you probably not only know the 5 D’s of dodgeball, but you also know that Gordy is much better when he plays angry. Maybe Will Berg is the same way. We can call him Killer Will and have the orca face on him. Then, when he’s not angry anymore, we can call him Chill Will. (Also, every time he makes a clutch shot, we’ll call him Ice Berg. I don’t make the rules.)
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This season seems to be a stepping stone for Will Berg. There are definitely improvements to be made, but with a bigger stage this season, it’s time to show what we’ve only seen glimpses of and surprise ourselves with even more.
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