Chris Kramer: Chasing A Dream

Tickets

Wednesday, Feb 15
SPORT	OPP/EVENT	TIME	COVERAGE
MBB	at Illinois	8:30 PM
Sunday, Feb 19
SPORT	OPP/EVENT	TIME	COVERAGE
MBB	vs Michigan State	1:00 PM	Watch
Wednesday, Feb 22
SPORT	OPP/EVENT	TIME	COVERAGE
MBB	vs Nebraska	6:30 PM
Saturday, Feb 25
SPORT	OPP/EVENT	TIME	COVERAGE
MBB	at Michigan	6:00 PM
Wednesday, Feb 29
SPORT	OPP/EVENT	TIME	COVERAGE
MBB	vs Penn State	6:30 PM
Sunday, Mar 4
SPORT	OPP/EVENT	TIME	COVERAGE
MBB	at Indiana	6:00 PM

Chris Kramer: Chasing A Dream

by Ben Roberts, Sports Information Student Assistant

Former Purdue guard Chris Kramer chased his NBA dream to Orlando last week as a member of the Indiana Pacers' Summer League squad.

Men's Basketball Home

HEADLINES

Purdue Tops Illinois, 67-62

Men's Basketball To Visit Illinois On Wednesday

Paint Crew Advances To Semifinal Round In Naismith Student Section Of The Year Award

RELATED LINKS

• Ticket Information

• Mackey Arena

•Follow Purdue Hoops on Twitter

• The Boiler Room

NATIONAL COVERAGE

• CBSSports.com Hoops

• Top 25 Rankings

• Bracketology

July 12, 2010

ORLANDO - For most people, a weeklong trip to Orlando is a vacation. For former Purdue guard Chris Kramer, his week in Orlando was all business. Kramer spent last week playing for the Indiana Pacers in the Orlando Pro Summer League. For Kramer, he's just trying to soak in this experience as much as possible.

"Anytime you get a chance to play in a summer league and play with professionals and draft picks, it's a great experience and it's something I won't forget," Kramer said at Orlando's RDV Sportsplex. "This is just another step in the right direction to achieving a dream, and I just have to keep moving in the right direction so that dream becomes a reality."

On Thursday afternoon, the Huntington, Ind., native took a huge step when he helped the Pacers erase a 19-point deficit in the second half and defeat the Boston Celtics. In vintage Kramer form, the former two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year helped spur the comeback, creating all kinds of havoc on the defensive end. Although he wasn't credited with a steal in the game, Kramer was all over the passing lanes, creating countless turnovers, something Purdue fans are used to seeing. If there is one thing Kramer learned in his four years at Purdue, it's how to play defense.

"If you can play defense at a high level, it really stands out, especially in these games, and that's something that Coach Painter really preached at Purdue and really helped me get to where I am today," Kramer said.

One of the people impressed with what they saw from Purdue's career steals leader was Pacers Executive Larry Bird. The Hall of Famer came away pleased with what he saw from the former Boilermaker.

"Chris is a tough kid and he plays hard all the time. He got in there today and he changed the game," Bird said on Thursday. "One thing he can do is defend. He's also proven that he can score, last year when a couple of Purdue players got hurt he stepped it up on the offensive end. He can shoot it good enough."

Kramer knows he still has a lot of work to do to reach his ultimate goal, but he's learned a lot from his time spent in Orlando.

"You have to be able to just play your game and make sure you don't try to do too much", he said. "You always have to be ready; you never know when your number is going to be called. When it is called, you have to play to your strengths and just have fun out there."

For Kramer, if he continues to play his game, it won't be long before his dream becomes a reality.