Ethan Morton a maybe for Wednesday; Eric Hunter coming along nicely

That doesn't necessarily mean, though, that the freshman guard will be available for the Space Coast Challenge, but it's certainly better than the alternative.

"Obviously it's not like a sprained ankle or something where you just kind of work through it," Coach Matt Painter said Monday. "You've got to see how he feels, and sometimes working out can set you back a little bit when you've had mono."

Morton participated in about half the practice, Painter said.

"He was sharp," Painter said. "He knew what was going on. He was aware, both offensively and defensively. That was a great sign, because that's how he Is as a player. He's very cerebral and understands things.

"But it's a different process when you're new and it's a different process when you've been out three weeks, throwing mono on top of it."

Purdue's already dealt with Its share of personnel Issues this preseason, between Morton's illness, center Emmanuel Dowuona's continued absence from practice due to respiratory problems, and obviously the costly loss of Eric Hunter to a knee injury.

The outlook for Hunter, though, seems positive, all things considered. He did not require surgery after getting hurt in a Nov. 9 scrimmage, originally projected to miss between six and eight weeks.

"I don't know if it'll be that long," Painter said. "I would guess it would be before six weeks. If he keeps progressing like he is right now, I would think it's before six weeks. He's making good progress."

The absences of Hunter and Morton have taken a bite out of Purdue's newfound backcourt depth, casting Isaiah Thompson and freshman Jaden Ivey into more prominent roles for the Boilermakers as primary ball-handlers at guard.

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