For what it's worth, while talking to a lot of fans leading up to this season, one gets the impression that most think Purdue will be in a rebuilding mode this year. Let's not forget, the Boilermakers went 22-13 a year ago and finished sixth in the Big Ten - not numbers Purdue fans had become accustomed to over the previous four seasons.

I'm not buying into the thought that we're in rebuild mode. I base that on the fact that this year's freshman class is much different than the norm from an experience standpoint. Donnie Hale played a year of prep ball and redshirted a season. He starts the season as a 21-year old freshman. Rapheal Davis, Jay Simpson and A.J. Hammons all played at a prep school. Heck, Hammons played abroad in China and Italy before even playing his first college game. Ronnie Johnson played in a big-time program at North Central High School. I just think that this group is collectively more mature than the normal first-year college class.

It may take some time to mix and match these guys with the veteran players, but I don't think it will take as long as most people think.

Here are some reasons I've heard why Purdue will labor. They have only one point guard and he's a freshman. How did Trey Burke work out for Michigan last year?

This is a team that can't shoot from the perimeter. I find that evaluation interesting since we haven't played a game yet. We will be a bad foul shooting team. Is that based on this season or last season?

How are we going to score points? I honestly think there are a lot of players on this team who can score. Do we have a 16 and 7 guy like Rob Hummel? Maybe not, but I wouldn't definitively say no. Both Terone Johnson and D.J. Byrd can really fill it up.

What I'm saying on the eve of the 2012-13 season is that expect this Purdue team to be good. I think the future is very bright. There's a common sentiment among the fan base that we're a year away from being a good team. I can assure that nobody within the program shares that view, and neither do I.