Purdue women's basketball report: Uniform reveal, Big Ten honor for McCarthy and Shereka Wright's return
The Boilermakers are scheduled to wear new uniforms Saturday in Fort Myers and freshman post player earns weekly award from the conference
Something new for the Boilermakers over Thanksgiving weekend.
Black uniforms.
The program’s social media accounts announced “Script Threads” ahead of Saturday’s game against No. 4 South Carolina at the Fort Myers Tip-Off (11 a.m.). The Boilermakers also face Middle Tennessee State on Thursday (4:30 p.m.) but aren’t scheduled to wear new uniforms.
To see more pictures, click here.
BIG TEN AWARD
Lana McCarty was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after helping the Boilermakers beat Bellarmine and UT Arlington.
The native of Bedford, N.H., posted a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) against Bellarmine and scored 18 points - 16 in the second half - against the Mavericks on Sunday.
McCarthy is the program’s first rookie to record multiple double-doubles in a season since 2004-05.
McCarthy’s minutes have been limited because of foul trouble. She’s been called for 20 fouls in the first five games (4.0) and is averaging 18.8 minutes in a starting role. She’s averaging 11.2 points and 7.0 rebounds and is shooting 61% from the field, and has given the Boilermakers quality play inside.
What are McCarthy’s Per 40-minute averages?
• Points: 23.8
• Rebounds: 14.9
Both those numbers lead the team. As McCarthy gains more experience, her minutes and production will increase.
“SURREAL MOMENT”
• More on what Shereka Wright said about her return to Mackey Arena and the emotional moments the three-time All-American dealt with before and during Sunday’s game.
“I had to take a quick breath because this is such a surreal moment to be back in a place that gave you everything,” Wright said. “You learned a lot about yourself and it was a lot to come back to, a lot to hold in. I tried my hardest to hold it in on the floor, but my little one (Lennox) made me lose it.”
• Kristy Curry, who recruited Katie Gearlds and Wright to Purdue, spoke with the pair before Sunday’s game. Curry wanted the Boilermakers to win two quarters and the Mavericks to win two quarters.
Purdue outscored UT Arlington in all four quarters. It didn’t dampen the day for Wright.
“It's just fulfilling that she made it happen and that's because she's my teammate, she's my friend, and I love her for that,” Wright said about Gearlds.
• Did Wright consider wearing her signature headband and high socks for the game? She didn’t, but she wore a black dress with gold trim. Her fingernails were painted blue, which is part of UT Arlington’s school colors.
“I have not been dressing up, but this was something that was important to do,” Wright said. “I almost did pull out the headband. At least, I thought my mom would wear it. I thought about the socks, but it's cold, and you start to think back, ‘Why did I do that?’
The headband, the high socks, and the No. 50 were all part of Wright’s personality and helped define her.
“I started in middle school, and I wanted a big jersey,” Wright said. “I didn't want a small jersey. The bigger the number, the bigger the jersey. They gave me the biggest number. It's a unique number for a player that was small but played big.”
• Gearlds was a freshman when Wright was a senior. We’ve heard Gearlds talk about how important Wright was to her career, but what did Wright take away from playing with Gearlds?
“I would honestly say Katie was probably the first freshman to come in and challenge me, even though it was a senior-to-freshman duo,” she said. “I thought she took it personally to say, ‘OK, I can make you better.’ I know you’re an All-American and all this. She’s always been humble and always gave me credit, which I never asked for. Everybody who knows me, I'm not one to talk about what I've done, but she has always embraced it.
“She's always talked about that. But I think it’s just the person that she is. She is the right person for this job, and I know she's going to continue to turn this around.”
• Wright called the reaction from the Mackey Arena crowd “heartwarming” when she was introduced. She held her daughter, Lennox, while waving to the fans, many of whom attended games when Wright played two decades ago.
“You try to hold your emotions in,” Wright said. “As a coach, you don’t want to show it, but I just said, ‘Hey, this is the one time that I deserve that.’ Our fans here are just amazing. The crowd was unbelievable, and it was heartwarming for me. I'm truly indebted to our fans, and I appreciate them here. It was everything that I could have asked for.”
• Her daughter, at one point during the video presentation, said, “Mommy, that’s you.” Wright couldn’t keep it together any longer.
“I just lost it,” she said. ‘I'll get emotional about it because it's fulfilling. I love what I do, and I don't disrespect the game because I gave so much to it. And now I'm giving back to my little one. She might not even bounce a ball, and I'm OK with that. She is going to be proud of her mom.
“I'm indebted, and that’s the thing is that my little one got to come back and be on that floor mommy played on. She's got this big smile, and she probably knows that this was a big moment. She wiped away a tear from me, and that was nice.”
• Wright ordered the perfect postgame meal for herself and the team. On the bus ride to the airport, they ate pizza from Bruno’s, a West Lafayette landmark.
“I may save a couple of pieces for when I get home, but this is my forever home. For sure,” Wright said.