A Long Time Coming

The last time that I photographed the Purdue women’s team was at the Big Ten Tournament in March of 2020. They beat Michigan State to advance that day, and the only question for me was where would I go with them in the NCAA tournament. You can read my post about that day here. Since that day in March a lot has changed. The team has a new coach, and many of the faces that I saw today were new to me in person. My role as a photographer for the team has changed too. It felt good to be back out there though making basketball photos again of them though.

Meet The New Coach

The new Purdue basketball coach is a familiar name. Katie Gearlds was an amazing player to watch when she played for Purdue. She was the go to person on the floor. I watched her play many games from my seat with Art and Sharon sitting behind me. Art always used to tell me that Katie was going to be a good coach someday. That someday came at Marian where she excelled as a coach. She won a couple of National Titles as their coach. Now she is back here, and I couldn’t be more excited for her to start this run with the Boilers. With today being her first game on the sidelines I decided to head down the tunnel to photograph part of her walk out to the court. As luck would have it she was by herself making for a good photo.

Having Some Fun

I could tell during intros that this team was going to have some fun on Sunday. They all came out with a lot of enthusiasm. When that happens you know that your day as a photographer just became that much easier.

Getting Some Reps In

When I was at the men’s game on Thursday I was always off to the side. I photograph basketball for real on Friday night so I wanted to get some reps in from where I will be doing that. It was also a good chance to test out a couple of lenses that I have never used on the baseline before. I felt that I had a pretty good game, and now my preseason will be over. Things kick in for real when Indiana State comes to town on Friday. Photographing games for fun like this one can be okay, but when you have a greater purpose to your photos it is always a little better. I look forward to seeing what new opportunities I can find as this season rolls on. If you are a local high school or a college coming in to town my schedule is as wide open as it can be right now. Lets work together and make something really cool.

More Photos From The Game

You can see my full gallery from the game here. I had a lot of fun getting to know this new team on Sunday. They start their season for real tomorrow night on the road. They come back home next Sunday to play the first home game for the new coach. Come on out and see the beginning of a fun run of basketball.