Transfers eager to contribute for Boilers

Drey Mingo last played in a game that mattered at the end of the 2008-09 season.
For Antionette Howard, it's been longer.
Now members of the Purdue women's basketball team, Mingo and Howard are set to return to action tonight when the Boilermakers open the regular season against Austin Peay in the Preseason WNIT at Mackey Arena.
Both players sat out last season because of NCAA transfer rules. Mingo left Maryland to join the Boilermakers; Howard transferred from Florida State.
Mingo and Howard each showed signs of rust in the two exhibition games.
"Don't remind me," Howard joked about the last time she played in a game that counted, which came in the early stages of the 2008-09 season.
She admitted nerves played a role in her first exhibition game performance.
" 'How would I do?' " Howard asked herself. "I'm ready to get in the flow of things, and to get an actual game under my belt was good. In the second game, I wasn't as nervous and stuff came a little bit more natural."
The 6-foot-2 Mingo, a McDonald's All-American at Marist High School in Atlanta, tried to do too much in the first half of the first game. She settled down after halftime, scoring 17 of her game-best 19 points.
"I think I'm getting there," Mingo said. "I have a long way to go. I just have to get some game feel back. I think I'm making progress."
Both players are expected to provide significant contributions this season to help the Boilermakers erase the memory of last year's losing season -- the program's first since 1984-85.
Mingo needs to help Purdue rebound, a shortcoming in the first half of both exhibition games, and provide low-post scoring. Meanwhile, Howard has the ability to score off the dribble and attack the basket, an element that was missing last season.
"She can score for us, and we know that," coach Sharon Versyp said of Howard. "She knows she needs to continue to work on her defense and work on some of her conditioning. She's fun to watch and she likes to get her teammates involved."
http://www.jconline.com/article/20101112/SPORTS02010202/11120334/Transfers-eager-to-contribute-for-Boilers