Purdue football coach Darrell Hazell greets fans Thursday night during a Coaches Caravan stop in Elkhart.

ELKHART – Darrell Hazell recently sat down and watched over 900 snaps of his Purdue football team from this spring.

He liked what he saw.

Hazell hopes the improvement this spring translates into brighter days for the Boilermakers come the fall.

Purdue finished just 1-11 in Hazell’s first season in West Lafayette, including an 0-8 mark in the Big Ten.

Hazell, the head coach at Kent State before taking over the Purdue program, was in town as part of the Purdue Coaches Caravan Thursday evening.

The group, which also included men’s basketball coach Matt Painter, women’s basketball coach Sharon Versyp and women’s volleyball coach Dave Shondell, along with Purdue Athletic Director Morgan Burke and former Purdue hoops star Brian Cardinal, met with fans at the Lerner Theater in downtown Elkhart. There was an autograph session with the coaches, followed by a dinner and auction to raise money for scholarships.

The event Thursday night, one of many that the coaches take part in during the offseason around the state, was sponsored by the Purdue Alumni Club of Elkhart County.

“Our guys are figuring it out,” said Hazell Thursday night after spending eight hours watching tape of his team. “They are starting to show passion and love it. They are getting it and making major progress. Every day is a learning experience.”

Hazell, a former assistant coach at Ohio State, said it’s all about staying the course as he tries to rebuild a program that fell on hard times under former coach Danny Hope after having a very successful run under Joe Tiller.

“You have to stay the course and rely on the people around you, in your locker room,” Hazell said. “You can’t go anywhere if you are not all together.”

Hazell’s team will play Notre Dame this fall at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The annual series will then take a hiatus.

“It’s a great rivalry with Notre Dame and this year is going to be so special,” said Hazell of playing the Irish in the Circle City at the home of the Colts. “Indy is a great venue and both teams will be well represented when we play there.”

Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter answers questions from the media Thursday night in Elkhart.

Painter also hopes for a bounce back season in 2014-15 for his basketball team. The Boilers went 15-17 this year, including 5-12 in the Big Ten and missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

“We have to play together and take better care of the basketball,” said Painter about keys to next season. “Our chemistry was poor this past year. We have to do a better job playing together. I think by addition and subtraction things will be better.

“It’s important for me to be accountable as the coach. Our fans are no more frustrated with this past season than me.”

Shondell has directed the Purdue volleyball program into one of the nation’s best. His Boilermakers were 23-12 this past season and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

Shondell, whose father was the longtime men’s coach at Ball State University, directed a powerhouse at Muncie Central High School before taking over the Purdue program 11 years ago.

The Purdue program has a definite area flavor. Annie Drews, a 6-4 southpaw, who played at Elkhart Central and Penn, is a sophomore for the Boilers. Current Central star Azariah Stahl is set to play for the Boilers in the fall.

“Indiana is a great volleyball state and this is a great area for us here,” said Shondell, a 1981 Ball State graduate. “They take their volleyball seriously up here. It all started with Steve Anderson at Mishawaka and now you have good programs all over like at Memorial, Central and Concord.

“Annie is just a great leader for us. We are going to lean on her heavily in the fall. Azariah is just an amazing teammate. We started recruiting her when she was like nine years old. We hope she comes in and helps us from day one.”

Versyp, who just finished her eighth season at Purdue, guided the Boilers to a 22-9 mark and a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Versyp is a Mishawaka High  School graduate and was Miss Basketball in 1984. She went on to play for the Boilers.