There was nothing Elton Carter could say, the grin and the chuckle had written the story.

He was asked by a reporter about the pick he set on a Purdue defender. Yes, the one in which he did his best impression of an Amtrak Freight and barrelled into his hapless victim.

He smiled. Like the boy who beat up the playground bully.

A push here, a shove there, "I guess the contact just gets me excited," Carter explained.

Physical play and intimidation are Carter's specialties, and have made the 6-foot-7, 235-pounder an important cog in the Nittany Lion rotation.

"We hope Elton stays healthy because he adds a dimension to the team we haven't had this year," Coach Bruce Parkhill said. "I just hope he stays healthy and gets himself in shape."

Because of Carter's injury riddled past, Parkhill is cautious when lauding the junior. The sentiment seems to be, it's good to have him back, knock on wood.

Last season Carter was stung by the injury bug and all of its hive mates, appearing in only 18 games. Tendonitis in the knee. Sprained ankle. Broken finger. Carter made sure the trainer earned his keep.

This season started no differently.

Originally pencilled in as the Lions' starting power forward, Carter came down hard on his knee during a preseason Blue-White game. Carter's ensuing howl, echoing throughout Rec Hall, was an omnious, if not ear-piercing, exclamation. Carter didn't hit the court again until the Indiana game two weeks ago.

Gradually, Carter is getting more minutes off the bench and wreaking a bit more havoc on the painted wood.

"The more I play, the better I play," Carter, a Michigan native, said. "Physically I'm getting back into shape."

But Carter is still a lap or two from regaining optimal stamina, and the pain in his knee is a permanent resident. When asked if his knees hurt after games, Carter answered, "No, they hurt during them."

During practices it sometimes becomes necessary for Carter to take a break and put his knee on the rocks.

"I guess as I get tired, the knee gets weak," he said.

But Carter keeps chugging, refusing to stay inactive.

Against Purdue, he played a season-high 19 minutes, netting seven points and two rebounds. But it is not statistics that Carter has to offer. Having a player like Carter on the bench gives Parkhill two new utensils in his Big Ten survival kit: a sixth man and a bruiser.

Matching up against Purdue's hulking Glenn Robinson, Carter did not shy from the challenge, instead he welcomed it with wide eyes.

"Glenn is somebody who is not afraid of contact, but he's not trying to hurt you," Carter said. "And that's all part of the game."