January 16, 2013

Stacy Clardie
GoldandBlack.com

Matt Painter has a ridiculous memory when it comes to basketball, recalling moments in games, players and statistics from years back. He makes it a point to tell his current Purdue players to play the percentages - and he makes knows what's best for them. So even though Terone Johnson may not realize how often his patented floater goes in, Painter does. Painter told Johnson late last season that he was making 60 percent of that shot from inside the paint going right. It's no wonder, then, that Johnson has continued to develop it and it's become what he called his "trademark" shot. Johnson initially started using the shot in high school, he said, and he's seen it improve as he's worked on it while at Purdue. "In high school, I would get in the lane a lot, but a lot of people would be like, 'Why don't you just dunk it?' But it was just more comfortable to me to just pull up mid-range before I even got to the defensive person," he said. "I think that's helped since I've been here definitely with the people getting taller that's inside. I've definitely used it a lot more in college than I did in high school." Younger brother Ronnie Johnson has tried to use the same shot in his Purdue career with much less success. Terone Johnson says the key is his soft touch. "I kind of just naturally have that soft touch from the beginning. I guess I just stuck with it," he said of the shot. "Like Coach Painter said, just putting time into it, going game speed with it, I think that helped me out in the summer and during the year, just working on it by myself. It's become one of my trademarks. "It's just something I like to use now. A lot." With as frequently as Terone Johnson still gets into the lane - some wondered how much that'd happen with potentially less favorable matchups personnel-wise this season - he knows it's one of his best, most consistent weapons. And knowing which shot is your best shot is important, he said. "We probably lost a couple games because of bad shot selection this year," Terone Johnson said. "That's one of the shots that when the coaches see or a player sees it, they're like, 'Even if you miss, shoot it again because that's a shot you make. That's one of your shots.' " Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2013. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc. GoldandBlack.com Mobile for your iPhone | GoldandBlack.com Mobile for your Android Check out GoldandBlack.com on | | ...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now for a FREE Trial

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