Seven Questions with Purdue legend Rick Mount

Here is a quick excerpt from an interview late last week with Purdue’s two-time All-American Rick Mount when we caught up with him for lunch near his home in Lebanon, Indiana. Mount, who was Purdue’s all-time leading scorer for 54 years before Zach Edey broke his record is never short on opinions. The interview was edited for clarity.

GoldandBlack.com: What are your thoughts on Braden Smith?

Mount: “He’s a pro. He does everything I have talked about in camps over the past 50 years. He can take it off the dribble and shoot and go. Purdue has three really good guys and if (Fletcher) Loyer can 15 points and (Trey) Kaufman-Renn can get 15 to 20, they are pretty good. The problem is they don’t have any one coming off the bench who want to (consistently) step up.

GoldandBlackcom. You said you would keep doing shooting instruction until you are 80 (Mount is 78) and you pay attention to Purdue’s shooter. Last year, you said Loyer wasn’t getting enough elevation on his jumpers, and since then, he has shot it pretty well.”

Mount: He was toeing it a bit, not elevating off the floor. If you elevate off the floor, you can shoot easily above your head (and get more arc). Sometimes he hits two or three in a row, and then its kind of “where did you go?”

GoldandBlack.com: You love Zach Edey as a player, but what about that scoring record of yours he broke?

Mount: He’s a helluva player. My grandson Jordan told me that he heard from on of Purdue’s assistant coaches that Zach was disappointed in me because I didn’t call him after he broke it. I told Jordan that if it had been in 72 games, I would have called him.’ (laughing)

GoldandBlack.com: The question of the week has been what do (Myles) Colvin and (Camden) Heide need to do to start making shots?

Mount: Colvin has to much forearm (in his shot). Instead of a little bit of forearm, you need to break your wrist. People ask me what your ingredients were for having a soft touch and I always say “lots of fingers.” When he gets the ball above his head, his forearm goes too hard, and his touch is too hard. He’s got to lighten that up and hit that wrist. Other than that, his shot looks good, but that is where he gets into trouble.

With Heide, he toes it too. He’s lazy (in terms of getting elevation). I sit in my easy chair, cussing him because he has great physical talent. Hey, I don’t need to be popular with the players; I call it like I see it.

GoldandBlack.com: The game has changed since your playing days, especially at the defensive end. But you had your moments as a defender.

Mount: I was too pretty to play defense (laughing), but when they called on me to slow down (North Carolina’s All-American) Charlie Scott, in the national semifinal), I did that. I was in a focus mindset every night in a zone.

GoldandBlack.com: Purdue hosts UCLA next week, and of course the Bruins were the opponent in the Dedication Game of the House That Mount Build on Dec. 2, 1967. That is the perfect time for you to make a return to Mackey, right?

Mount: They haven’t invited me.

GoldandBlack.com: Well, consider this an invitation as coach Matt Painter and Elliot Bloom will do what it takes to get you to West Lafayette. You are always welcome in Mackey, you know that. Will we see you in Mackey on Feb. 28?

Mount: If you can get me some NIL money, I will be there (laughing). I think I missed out on about $5 million.

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