7/10/2020 football Edit

Catching up with ... Roy Hairston

Tom Dienhart • BoilerUpload

GoldandBlack.com, Associate Editor

Purdue went 51-13 in Roy Hairtson's two years with the program and was 30-6 in Big Ten play with two league titles.

Roy Hairston was part of the glory days of Purdue basketball. And he is forever grateful for that.

He arrived at Purdue amid big hype, having been named the Junior College National Player of the Year in 1993-94 after leading Hutchinson C.C. to the national title. He finished his junior college career as Hutchinson's all-time leading scorer (1,687 points) and was later named to the NJCAA Hall of Fame.

The 6-8 Hairston, a native of Jersey City, N.J., played at Purdue from 1994-96, leading the Boilers to back-to-back Big Ten titles in 1994-95 and 1995-96. He averaged 8.3 points as a starter as a senior in 1995-96 on a squad that finished 26-6 and earned a No. 1 NCAA seed. Hairston paced the team in steals in each of his two seasons in West Lafayette and finished his Purdue career with 574 points and 306 rebounds. Purdue went 51-13 in his two years with the program and was 30-6 in Big Ten play during that span.

Upon leaving Purdue, Hairston enjoyed an extensive playing career overseas that included several championships. Since then, he has forged a career in coaching. He has been an assistant coach for the Iowa Energy in the NBA D-League, and also has worked at Marian University, Park Tudor High School and Cathedral High School. He was a member of the coaching staff for Cathedral's city title in 2012 and Park Tudor's 2A state championship in 2014. Hairston also has been an assistant at IUPUI and most recently at the University of Indianapolis.

GoldandBlack.com caught up with Hairston.

GoldandBlack.com: How did you matriculate to Purdue?

Hairston: It was kind of interesting because Purdue didn’t recruit me in high school. They recruited me out of junior college. I was on a team with a player named Marcus LoVett out of Fort Wayne. We were friends. In open gym the summer of 1992. Frank Kendrick came to look at Marcus LoVett to see how he was doing because he was already committed to go to Purdue. At that time, I caught the attention of Coach Kendrick. We talked afterward and Frank Kendrick actually told me that he would offer me a scholarship just off of that open gym. Then Coach Keady and Bruce Weber would come down to games. My JC ended up winning the national title, which meant more to me than winning national JC player of the year. That is how I ended up at Purdue, but I had a lot of other offers, too, schools like Alabama, UNLV, Rick Pitino came in, Kansas, Kansas State.

GoldandBlack.com: Whatever happened to LoVett?

Hairston: LoVett ended up getting into a little trouble, leaving school and going to California. He actually had a son, Marcus Lovett, Jr., who was a big recruit who went to St. John’s. Marcus and I are still good friends today.

GoldandBlack.com: Did you feel pressure following Glenn Robinson at Purdue?

Hairston: Well, I never really thought I was the next Glenn Robinson. We did have similar games, but, you know, Glenn is a generational player. I never really looked at it like I had to come in and replace him. Maybe it was frustrating for other people because we were so similar. He was the college player of the year and I was the JC player of the year in the same season (1993-94). And we had similar games. Glenn had a lot more freedom than I did within the offensive structure for doing things like that. It was never really bothersome to me because I was comfortable with who I was as a player and as a person. But the good thing is, we won. And that was always important to me. We won the Big Ten both years I was there. I’ve always been a team player. I never felt like I was coming in to replace him. I was just Roy Hairston.

GoldandBlack.com: What are your best Purdue memories?

Hairston: Quite a few. Beating Michigan at home my junior was big because it meant we wouldn’t have to share the Big Ten title. It was ours outright. That was big. Winning it on your home floor, sharing it with your fans and student body. That was fun.

Winning the Hilo tournament down in Hawaii was another fun memory, because myself and Brandon Bradley played really well my senior year and we ended up beating Iowa State and Fred Hoiberg. We had Cuonzo Martin. Matt Waddell was coming off knee injury, so Brandon Brantley and I carried a big load of the scoring, the rebounding and defending. Winning that tournament was great.

One thing that was really, really good was winning down at IU because I never understood the rivalry growing up on the east coast. And you can just feel the tension. We won there my senior year. Chad (Austin) hit a big shot and Porter Roberts was so excited, he kicked the ball up into the stands of Assembly Hall. So, that was fun beating them down there. And, you know, just on the bus ride back, too. Their fans were so angry at us, yelling at the bus. It was fun. We beat them twice that year.

Story continues below photo

Roy Hairston finished his Purdue career with 574 points and 306 rebounds.

GoldandBlack.com: How many years did you play overseas after you left Purdue?

Hairston: I played about 12 years. I had a pretty good deal to go right out of Purdue, but I decided not to leave in ’96 and came back to finish my degree requirements in 1997. I wanted to finish before I left. I played in Italy, Turkey, England, Russia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic and the Philippines. Being over there, I was able to get back to my junior college ways of playing basketball. I could score, rebound, play defense and be the all-around player that I was in junior college. It was like a breath of fresh air. I was able to get back to doing the things that I was comfortable with as a basketball player.

GoldandBlack.com: And you have forged a career in coaching since you stopped playing. How has that gone?

Hairston: I am between jobs. I was at IUPU two years and then I went to the University of Indianapolis, but Coach (Stan) Gouard left to take the job at Southern Indiana. He was a great mentor. Coaching has given me a way to share some of my experiences as being highly recruited player, my playing experiences. This is a way for me to give back to the game that has given me so much. It was an adjustment going from playing to coaching. I talk to Coach (Matt Painter) and Cuonzo (Martin). I am learning a lot. I'm just fortunate to have guys that I can call that have been through it.

I have some high school coaching opportunities here in Indiana as an assistant and have interviewed for head coaching jobs. So, I'm looking to stick with it. I would like to be at the college level. But if not, I'll continue in some form or fashion.

GoldandBlack.com: Are you married?

Hairston: Married for about 19 years with one daughter. She’s 12 years old, Zori. She’s into softball and violin. It has been difficult with quarantining and social distancing.

GoldandBlack.com: Do you keep a close eye on Purdue?

Hairston: I talk to Paint. He has been helpful. Brandon Brantley is still there. He was one of my best friends when I played at Purdue. I get back often and I try to help them out with recruits and talent that I may see that they may not get a chance to see. I am always trying to share information to help the university be better. I keep an eye on them, Kansas State and Missouri.

Membership Info: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?

Follow GoldandBlack.com: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

More: Gold and Black Illustrated/Gold and Black Express | Subscribe to our podcast