By Anne McLaren
Staff Writer

Several years from now, when senior Chad Kerkhof is working as a mechanical engineering technician, he will probably look back on his years at Purdue with pride.

Kerkhof, a 6-foot guard, came to Purdue as a walk-on in 1995 after graduating from Central High School in Greenfield, Ind.

"When I first came here, I just wanted to be part of the team," he said. "I was primarily used as a practice player — getting guys ready to go.

"I had an opportunity to go to smaller schools to play, but I wanted to come to Purdue to get an engineering background," he said. "And there’s not a better school than that."

Academic All-Big Ten for three straight years, the fifth-year senior has made the most of his academic opportunities at Purdue. He has joined several honor societies, including Golden Key National Honor Society and National Collegiate Athletic Honor Society.

Finding the balance between academics and athletics is something that Kerkhof has been doing all along.

"I’ve only known the fact that I go from practice and I go to the books," he said. "I don’t have a period of time when I can goof around. If I do anything, I’m pretty much studying or on the court."

Kerkhof, who has subsequently earned a basketball scholarship to Purdue, said his role on the team has changed.

"As the years progressed, I’ve developed more and have been able to contribute more to the team," he said. "Consequently, I’ve been able to get more playing time and contribute in games more."

After averaging three minutes of playing time in his first three years, Kerkhof’s time has increased this season to almost 10 minutes per game. He recorded his first career start on Dec. 22 against Central Michigan.

Assistant coach Jim Thrash called Kerkhof a solid player.

"He's a guy who has paid his dues and worked hard for four years," Thrash said. "So it's great to see all of that hard work paying off."

While Kerkhof has seen increased playing time, the team also has seen success this season. The Boilers (21-8, 12-4 Big Ten) finished in third place in the Big Ten, one game behind co-champions Ohio State and Michigan State. They will start play in the Big Ten Tournament tonight at 10 in the United Center in Chicago.

Purdue’s last regular season conference title came in 1996. That team featured six seniors, including assistant coach Todd Foster. Kerkhof, who sat out that season as a redshirt, said there are similarities between that team and this season’s, which features five seniors.

"Really, we’ve been through almost every situation that you could imagine in a college game," Kerkhof said. "With the five seniors, we’re prepared to face those situations. We’ve kind of been able to teach that down to the younger guys. That’s what the (1996 team was able to do.) They were able to take the maturity that they had and build upon that — learn from the situations they’ve been in."

Foster said Kerkhof is an asset to the team.

"He does so much on the court and off the court — the little things that make a team successful," Foster said. "He’s going to be a very successful person in life because he does everything we ask. All you have to do is tell him once and he’ll get it done."

Though Kerkhof hasn’t secured his permanent job position yet, he plans to devote his attention to interviewing as soon as the season is over.

"I’ve got a couple companies that I’m interested in working for," he said. "I interviewed previously, before the season started. But a lot of companies wanted me to do plant trips, and as far as the time requirements, I didn’t have the time to do that. So right now, I’ve kind of put that on hold to enjoy basketball for a few weeks — enjoy that aspect of my life."