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Matt Painter reveals Purdue player opted for root canal over practice

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Matt Painter must run a pretty tight and intense practice. In fact, one Purdue player recently opted to have a root canal done which caused the Boilermaker to miss practice.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Painter said it was Mason Gillis who had a root canal and missed practice. The head coach even joked about the decision Gillis had to make and alluded to the fact Gillis was less intimated by the root canal than another practice session.

“Mason had a root canal, so Mason was out (of practice). That’s always fun, right? You want to come to my practice or a root canal? He chose root canal,” said Painter with a chuckle. “Everyone has their own opinion.”

Fortunately, the procedure is not expected to keep Gillis out of game action. He was expected back in practice and should be able to suit up for Friday’s game.

“Yeah, he’ll play. He should practice today, he’s a pretty tough guy,” Painter explained.

In the season-opening win over Samford, Gillis played 17 minutes off the bench with 2 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds. Last season, he made 15 starts with 32 total appearances, and he should be primed for another key role this season.

Purdue returns to action Friday night with a 7 p.m. ET tip-off against Morehead State.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.