Three Thoughts From The Weekend: Paul Lusk, Brian Waddell and more

The first of Purdue's two open spots on Matt Painter's staff has been filled, by the thoroughly predictable return of former Boilermaker assistant coach Paul Lusk, a hire that should be made official in coming days.

Soon as Steve Lutz left for his first head coaching position, this was a one-man search years in the making, that Painter would bring back one of his closest friends in the business and that Lusk would be back in West Lafayette so fast your head would spin.

When Painter was being recruited by Purdue to succeed Gene Keady as part of a then-unconventional succession arrangement, Painter's only "demand" was that Lusk come with him. That's what Keady says anyway.

That's how tied together these two are, and now, there's value in that.