(Editor's note: Purdue junior Shereka Wright, a 5-foot-10 forward and All-Big Ten first-team pick, will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season.)

Jan. 29, 2003

	Wright

Last week was a big week for the Boilermakers. We had to reevaluate ourselves and ask what was lacking from our basketball team. In the loss at Minnesota on Jan. 19, there was something we did not have that all the best Purdue teams have had in the past. The thing that was missing was toughness.

Sometimes this season we have had the tendency to walk onto the court not fully expect our opponents' best, or we've played passive. Especially on the road, you have to show your opponent that you will respect them but never fear them. And at times we have not done that.

Everybody on the team has something that they have to adjust in order for us to be successful, and for us to be mentally tough as a whole in every game. I think we can draw strength from doing a better job preparing, by understanding tendencies of individual players and teams, and by understanding exactly what we have to do to defeat our opponent.

In the end, I think our team took the constructive criticism to heart and did something about it. We defeated Iowa and Northwestern because we respected them, but did not fear them. We have to take that same mental toughness to Illinois on Thursday and bring it home on Sunday against Ohio State.

For more on Wright and Purdue, visit the Boilermakers' official athletic site.