Nathan Baird

nbaird@jconline.com

Neal Beshears knew going into the offseason that, barring an incoming transfer, he would be the Purdue men's basketball team's only senior this season.

The forward from Winchester assumed that designation would carry a certain amount of leadership responsibilities. It didn't matter that he was a walk-on.

"Most (walk-ons), because they don't play a lot, they're afraid that if they say something, the guys that play a lot aren't going to respond to them," Beshears said. "I think a lot of the guys respect us and respect the walk-ons. If we're doing what we're supposed to it helps us influence them as far as doing the right things and playing the right way."

Earlier this week, Purdue coach Matt Painter rewarded two walk-ons — Beshears and junior guard Stephen Toyra — with scholarships for 2014-15. They and walk-on junior guard Jon McKeeman represent three-fifths of the team's upperclassmen going into the season.

Earlier this summer the Boilermakers said those three players are expected to play a vital leadership role this season, regardless of their scholarship designation. Beshears is the only scholarship senior and, not counting walk-on sophomore guard Anfernee Brown, Purdue will feature five freshmen and three sophomores.

"The walk-ons that we have, they have a lot of knowledge and a lot of good input," sophomore guard Kendall Stephens said. "We as players, we look to that and we accept it and we realize they know what they're talking about. They're great athletes and they can contribute. They're teammates just like us."

The walk-on role essentially requires the selflessness expected of true leaders. They endure the same early morning strength and conditioning sessions, the same grueling practices and the same time demands as the scholarship athletes. Game minutes typically come in lopsided contests, and rarely after the start of the Big Ten Conference season.

That sacrifice earns walk-ons their teammates' respect, but it doesn't always lead to an equivalent voice in the locker room. Yet several Boilermakers say the team has emphasized open and positive communication this offseason, and the walk-ons are encouraged to speak up.

"Everybody's pretty competitive," said Toyra, who was invited to walk-on after a breakthrough senior season at Lafayette's Faith Christian. "Me, Jon and Neal don't play as much, but in open gym, we're solid contributors.

"Whether that translates on to the court in Big Ten games due to athleticism, it may not. But I think everybody has everybody else's respect and that hasn't been true in the past. Now that it is it brings a difference sense of team chemistry and everybody on the same page wanting to do what it takes to win."

While accepting their supporting role, the walk-ons say they keep their eye on a potential payoff. Players like Bobby Riddell, Mark Wohlford and others walked on in recent years before working their way to larger roles.

Recent history has also made the scholarship players more receptive to their walk-on teammates.

As a freshman, Rapheal Davis had upperclassmen like D.J. Byrd, Terone Johnson and Travis Carroll to look up to. But Davis, who by the end of his sophomore season had earned a captain's designation due to his leadership skills, said he learned his trade from Dru Anthrop.

Anthrop came to Purdue as an invited walk-on out of Central Catholic, but like Beshears and Toyra eventually earned a scholarship.

"Him pushing me helped me play hard," Davis said. "That's probably why I got a reputation around here of playing hard and practicing hard, just trying to imitate what he did.

"It's about who you attach to. He pushed me as a freshman. I know Stephen is really pushing Dakota (Mathias) in the gym. ... I know Neal is really pushing Vince (Edwards) and Basil (Smotherman). I know Jon is trying to work with Bryson (Scott)."

The walk-ons spent the summer trying to impart veteran wisdom on Purdue's incoming five-man freshman class.

Regardless of their impact on the box score, Beshears, Toyra and McKeeman have spent a combined eight seasons inside the Boilermaker program and the world of college basketball in general. That makes them a valuable resource for freshmen trying to find a certain building on campus or struggling to learn a particular concept or drill.

"It's a lot of information to take in at once," said McKeeman, who finds enough time between basketball responsibilities to earn Big Ten Distinguished Scholar accolades. "I know when I was here as a freshman I kind of had to jump in and learn it all really, really quickly.

"Giving them a transition period in the summer where we can teach them, where it's a non-confrontational environment and you don't have any coaches yelling at you and it's a slower pace where they can learn, I think that's going to be a good thing for them."

Last season, Purdue's four walk-ons combined for 61 minutes — almost half of which came from Toyra. But none of them say they'll measure their success in 2014-15 by how much that number increases.

"As you come in and things happen and guys come and go, you realize there is a burden that has to be carried by somebody," Toyra said. "My mindset is I want to put myself in as good a position to do that as any scholarship player or anybody in this program in general. ... I'm going to be ready to go, but I'm going to do what's best for Purdue.

"I'd love to see P.J. (Thompson) come in and beat me out and lead us to a Big Ten championship. I would be just as excited as if I got to do that. It's the simple fact that goal is to win and not individual accolades."