Hammer and Rails - Countdown to Purdue BasketballPurdue's Okayest Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52787/Hammer_And_Rails_favicon..png2023-10-14T19:00:00-04:00http://www.hammerandrails.com/rss/stream/162165072023-10-14T19:00:00-04:002023-10-14T19:00:00-04:0023 Days to Purdue Basketball: Camden Heide
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<figcaption>Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>The Minnesota forward will get his shot to show off his hops and skills. </p> <h2 id="OJpeMt"><strong>Camden Heide - #23</strong></h2>
<p id="FFaaab">Forward <br>RS Freshman - Class of ‘22<br>6’7 - 205 lbs<br>Wayzata, Minnesota - Wasatch Academy</p>
<p id="exoIJn"> Coming out of Wayzata, Minnesota, Camden Heide will look to be next in a long line of players to redshirt under Matt Painter and come out with a year of learning and 4 years of eligibility. Often times, the redshirt is used to help a player back from injury and Heide is following suit as a foot injury in his senior season of high school has helped the decision to redshirt. We hope for Camden to follow the footsteps of Mason Gillis and Trey Kaufmann-Renn, who both bounced back from high school injuries to play solid minutes for Purdue. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> EXPLOSIVE! <a href="https://twitter.com/CamdenHeide?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CamdenHeide</a> with the throwdown. <br><br>(And he’s fine. Just gonna be sore) <a href="https://t.co/pXP8nNdybU">pic.twitter.com/pXP8nNdybU</a></p>— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) <a href="https://twitter.com/BoilerBall/status/1690074968183214080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2023</a>
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<p id="FQndMi"> On the court, Camden Heide may be one of the more athletic players for this Purdue squad. The once number one player in Minnesota can shoot the ball well and is athletic enough to be a menace on defense. His junior season of high school (he was injured most of his senior year), Heide shot over 40% from deep and averaged 18 and 6. Heide projects to be anywhere between the 2-4 but with his size and the makeup of the Purdue roster, he may be slotted better at the 3 until more room at the 4 opens up. He’ll have to continue to work on lateral quickness there, especially after a foot injury. Overall, he cold make a solid contribution to a team with high aspirations. </p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2023/10/14/23917309/23-days-to-purdue-basketball-camden-heidePURB972023-09-26T21:51:34-04:002023-09-26T21:51:34-04:00Purdue Basketball is Back: New Season, High Expectations
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<figcaption>Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>It’s our Redemption Era</p> <p id="mciB0C">We’re back baby! Purdue basketball officially kicked off today for their first practice. We’ve had a lot of hype going into certain years but there hasn’t been this much expectations for a team in my life time. </p>
<p id="dBdcb3">In every preseason poll they are ranked between 2-4 nationally. Not that you need reminding, but we didn’t know what to make of last years team with lots of new faces. </p>
<p id="rm48SR">The Boilers came out dominating the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament, winning the Big Ten, winning the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/big-ten-basketball-tournament">Big Ten tournament</a> and seemed to have the capabilities to make a run in March. Then Purdue did Purdue things and became the second ever #1 seed to lose to a #16 seed in the first round of March Madness. </p>
<p id="d9Nndf">Well, here we are again. But this year we have expectations. Those freshman now have a season under their belts. Zach Edey, the most dominant player in college basketball is back along with Furst, Gillis, TKR, Morton and Waddell. Plus we are adding some fresh blood. Cameron Heidi and Myles Colvin will have plenty of opportunities to showcase their abilities and bring much needed athleticism to the guard spot. </p>
<p id="L9USl8">I think everyone probably has different expectations for a season, for me the only redemption of last year is a final four. Of course I want to win it all, but at the very least, my expectations lie there. </p>
<p id="TBsuwF">Of course, winning the Big Ten would be great, sweeping IU, and the Maui Invitational but at this point none of that matters if we don’t get it done in March. I know it’s not an easy feat. It takes a team to be playing good at the right time, a good draw, and maybe a little luck, but if not this year then when? </p>
<p id="s7ChB4">I expect Painter to play with the rotations to start the year like he usually does to see who gels where and who plays best with who. I hope (expect) him to be more flexible in his game planning as the season wears on. Teams figure Purdue out and we never seem to adjust to that. I hope (expect) to see us handle ball pressure, that wasn’t all on the freshman, we had experienced guards looking like deer in the headlights when the press came. And I hope (expect) Purdue to know that on any given night they can be beat, and I think a loss like last March is one that sticks with you a while. </p>
<p id="cQ9er5">We’ve had the three amigos, the baby boilers, the Haas injury, one of the best tournament performances ever by Carsen Edwards and Jaden Ivey all come along and fall short. They don’t have a catchy name but if this teams finally does it, I’m trademarking them “The Chosen Ones.”</p>
<p id="r8ySlp"><strong>What Will The Difference Be?</strong></p>
<p id="rO006c"> Purdue will look different this season and not because of adding a couple of pieces here and there. Yes, adding the athleticism of Cam Heide and Myles Colvin will jump off the page as compared to last season. More than that though, the team will simply be...older. It’s really as simple as that.</p>
<p id="CNqN9f"> Braden Smith was about as fantastic as you could have expected from a true freshman point guard playing in a major conference. An undervalued and underrecruited point guard out of Westfield, IN, Smith showed up on campus with a savvy aura of confidence that belied his age. With the experience of a full year under his belt and another full off season of work, the biggest difference for Purdue may in fact be Smith’s continued evolution. </p>
<p id="wP5WVa"> At times last season in some critical moments, Smith took over games with the ball in his hands and Matt Painter trusted his true freshman guard to go and make the right play. This was done alongside the eventual National Player of the Year in Zach Edey and a set of experienced wings in Ethan Morton and Mason Gillis. Expect more of that kind of trust in the second year player who could easily become an all B1G caliber type of guard this season who can average 14/6/6 this season after averaging 9.6/4.2/4.4 last year.</p>
<p id="vohMqU"> You don’t happen to come upon a point guard that caliber of Braden Smith all too often when you are Purdue. Sure, Purdue has had some incredibly shooting guards and wings over the course of the Matt Painter era. Guys like Jaden Ivey, Carsen Edwards, Dakota Mathias, The last time Purdue had a point guard that had this type of ability to control the game pace, play tough as nails defense, and go out and put up 20 on any given night was probably Willie Deane in the early 2000’s. That’s how rare this type of player is for Purdue to have on their roster and it’s likely the biggest difference for them in this upcoming season.</p>
<p id="Bu9ewY"><strong>Who Starts Where?</strong></p>
<p id="vaGiXN"> As of right now, there are only two locks in the starting rotation for the Boilers. Zach Edey and Braden Smith will likely be the only two in the coming weeks who may not feel pushed for a starting role this season and rightfully so. Edey’s accomplishments and domination speak for themselves and Smith’s were spoken about above. The question then moves forward of who starts at the other three positions?</p>
<p id="uaEaMZ"> The easy answer would be to just roll out Fletcher Loyer at shooting guard, Ethan Morton at small forward, and Mason Gillis at power forward. That’s how most of the season played out last year but that is unlikely to happen this season. Why would you flip the starting roles around for a team that is coming off one of the most successful in program history? The easy answer isn’t always the best one though.</p>
<p id="F8M8zw"> Loyer struggled mightily last season once the calendar seemed to turn the page to February whole Morton’s inconsistent ability to be a scoring threat rendered him some what useless at times in games. Gillis is the most steady and effort driven player on the roster but there are just better options this year, even if the season doesn’t start out that way. The differences for this year is the depth that is behind what was last year a thin position.</p>
<p id="Leetnf"> Myles Colvin enters his first year at Purdue as one of the most highly touted prospects to come into Purdue in recent years. His involvement with Team USA on the 3x3 and U-19 team opened some eyes over the last year and a half. A long, athletic wing like Colvin who can elevate to create his own shot is desperately needed. When you compound that with Cam Heide who appears to have made a giant leap into his second year in the program would suddenly make Purdue an athletic bunch who can hit outside shots enough to prevent double teams inside on Edey.</p>
<p id="PvWWuF"> Will Colvin supplant the established Loyer for the starting position? I think after the struggles that Loyer had last year and the kind of shot making and athleticism that Colvin brings, there may be a much shorter leash than we all may expect to be there. The biggest issue may not be on the offensive end but in the defensive liability that Loyer proved to be the last several weeks of the season.</p>
<p id="HaKfyG"> The major question then becomes the starter at the power forward position. By all accounts, that will likely be Trey Kaufman-Renn, who has had as good of a summer as any big has had under Painter. He has expanded his ability to step out and shoot the three along with becoming a better defender in space on the defensive end. Having another incredibly talented low post scorer really helps Edey prevent a backside double as Kaufman-Renn can drop down to the opposite block and take most opposing forwards easily into the post with all of the focus placed on Edey.</p>
<p id="j0irLZ"><strong>Likely Starters:</strong></p>
<p id="TABREN">Point Guard: Braden Smith<br>Shooting Guard: Fletcher Loyer<br>Small Forward: Cam Heide<br>Power Forward: Trey Kaufman-Renn<br>Center: Zach Edey</p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2023/9/26/23891797/purdue-basketball-is-back-new-season-high-expectationsGamedayGabiJedWilkinson2022-11-08T12:36:26-05:002022-11-08T12:36:26-05:000 Days to Purdue Basketball: Mason Gillis
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<figcaption>Noe Padilla/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>You know what this means?!?! Basketball starts today! </p> <p id="K5HqMH">If you listen to the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h-r-podcast-iowa-trounces-purdue-but-basketball-is-back/id1089675633?i=1000585467136">Hammer and Rails podcast</a>, follow us on Twitter, or generally read articles where I talk about Purdue basketball you’ll know that my two favorite players on this Purdue squad are Ethan Morton and Mason Gillis. I just love the way the two of them play. They are always out there busting their asses, diving for loose balls, and making the hustle plays. All throughout last season on the podcast I had to defend Gillis in a non-stop battle against Casey who was desperate for Caleb Furst to overtake him and usurp all of his minutes. That didn’t happen as Furst sort of faded down the stretch while Gillis’ power only grew. </p>
<p id="jBysjN">Gillis stands at 6’6” and 230 pounds and is just a bruiser of a player. If you read the piece on David Jenkins Jr. over at our friends at <a href="https://purdue.rivals.com/news/david-jenkins-jr-the-sixth-year-man">Boiler Upload</a> you’ll see that Mason Gillis is the same feisty player in practice that he is during games. Jenkins left practice and headed to an interview with the media with a bruised and bloodied face because of Mason Gillis. I’m told he’s at least one of three players that has taken a shot from Gillis during practice this year. </p>
<p id="7PUHhd">That’s the kind of effort we want to see. Purdue fans love it. We cheer for it. We thrive on it. When Purdue has guys who do the dirty work they quickly become fan favorites. Just ask Todd Foster, Brian Cardinal, Kenny Lowe, Chris Kramer. These are names we remember for not just their offense but their defense, their hustle, their attitude. These were players who embodied Purdue toughness and I think you can add Gillis to that list. </p>
<p id="TOcn85">Gillis drastically improved his three point shooting in his second season with the Boilermakers and if he can keep that up it will be a boon for this young team who is looking for experience and consistency on all corners of the floor. Just take a look at this stats from the prior two seasons and note the improvement. </p>
<p id="EixdWZ"><strong>2020-21 Stats: 28 games, 23 starts. 22.2 mpg, 5.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 46.5% FG%, 35.2% 3FG, 81.4% FT%</strong></p>
<p id="DHsRJZ"><strong>2021-22 Stats: 33 games, 25 starts. 23.5 mpg, 6.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.1 apg, 49.6% FG%, 41.4% 3FG, 85% FT%</strong></p>
<p id="iPDLRp">I will admit that Gillis does sometime play a bit too much like a bulldog, he made some crucial mistakes in the game against St. Peter’s, but we can forgive that because more often than not Gillis knows what he’s doing and finds himself in the right place at the right time. He’s a king of the garbage bucket and loves to go after the tough rebound. He’s a guy who your glad is on your team even if that means sometimes you get an elbow to the face, </p>
<p id="LyZV3h">So that’s it folks. That’s everyone. The team is ready. The fans are informed. Tonight at 6:30 PM on BTN Purdue basketball finally returns. It’s like Christmas morning! </p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/8/23447507/0-days-to-purdue-basketball-mason-gillisjumboheroes2022-11-07T11:49:08-05:002022-11-07T11:49:08-05:001 Day to Purdue Basketball: Caleb Furst
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<figcaption>Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>New number, who dis? </p> <p id="LcAtMC">After wearing #3 last year Caleb Furst made a change in the offseason to #1. It only makes sense as his last name is literally a misspelling of first. Like, it just seems obvious doesn’t it? Of course he should wear #1. </p>
<p id="yOnH6s">Furst is coming off a season which saw him go in and out of the starting lineup and have a fairly good debut season for a true freshman. Twelve starts is nothing to scoff at. </p>
<p id="UynOTw"><strong>2021-22 Stats: 34 games, 12 starts. 14.6 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.4 apg, 57.3% FG%, 42.3% 3FG, 71.7% FT%</strong></p>
<p id="qCcggh">Furst’s minutes began to fall off around the time of the loss to Rutgers. During Purdue’s Big Ten Tournament run he played just 10 minutes all against Michigan State. During Purdue’s NCAA Tournament run Furst played in all three games but had the most impact in the game against Yale where he played 21 minutes and dropped in 10 points. In the game against Texas he played just 9 minutes and against St. Peter’s he played 12. For a player who started the season so great what caused him to fall off? </p>
<p id="dUlQyX">It all seemed to start after he was held out of the game against Nicholls due to health and safety protocols i.e. Covid protocols. As we saw across the country in college basketball it can take awhile for a player to fully come back from Covid. For Furst it meant he lost his starting spot to Mason Gillis and never retained it. While Covid might have been a factor there’s also the freshman wall. It happens to nearly all freshman in the conference as the schedule can be grueling. Going from a high school schedule to college where you may play 3 times a week and are on the road for hours at a time all while taking 12-15 credit hours and keeping up with everything else in life can be an adjustment. There’s no doubt these things both played a factor in his drop in production. </p>
<p id="R6rYu7">With those things out of the way though there’s a hope for a return to early season form for Furst. During the exhibition against Truman State Furst tied for the team lead with 20 minutes played and looked like his old self while doing it. He went 5-9 from the floor, grabbed 6 rebounds, to go along with one assist and 0 turnovers. That’s quite the day. Purdue will likely continue to experiment with lineups this year that include Furst at the 5 in a “small ball” lineup. I use that term loosely because Furst is 6’10” so small only in comparison to Zach Edey. Using Furst at the 5 gives Purdue a lot of options at the other positions and puts opponents in difficult positions defensively. Furst is going to be an extremely important piece on this Purdue team. Here’s hoping it’s his furst (sic) season where we really see what kind of player he is. I think we’ll all be very happy with the results. </p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/7/23444969/1-day-to-purdue-basketball-caleb-furstjumboheroes2022-11-07T11:25:36-05:002022-11-07T11:25:36-05:00(Less Than) 2 Days to Purdue Basketball: Fletcher Loyer
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<figcaption>Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>Can Loyer be the next great Purdue shooter? </p> <p id="fxCvmd">Matt Painter has learned from his recruiting mistakes in past years. He’s been vocal about it. He’s talked about finding himself going after stars and not players. Not building a team that would fit together. He’s talked about his inability to find enough shooting talent to fill a roster. That’s why in recent years Painter has been explicit about recruiting a shooter in each and every class. It’s the one thing that you can’t have too much of on a basketball team. Especially as we Purdue fans have seen the shooters become inconsistent in some of Purdue’s biggest moments of recent years. </p>
<p id="Uupuix">Enter Fletcher Loyer. You might have heard about him during March Madness this year when he won himself a contest for three point shooting and took home some of the most bizarre hardware you’ll ever see. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"> <a href="https://twitter.com/FletcherLoyer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FletcherLoyer</a> wins national high school 3-point contest. <br><br>1st rd: 21-16 over Duke’s Kyle Filipowski. <br>Finals: 24-13 over Austin Montgomery (undecided). <br><br>Defeated Taylor McCabe (Iowa WBB) to win “Battle of Champions”. <br><br> 2nd Boilermaker to win (<a href="https://twitter.com/Ryan_Cline13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ryan_Cline13</a> - 2015). <a href="https://t.co/k0NqbSVLVv">pic.twitter.com/k0NqbSVLVv</a></p>— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) <a href="https://twitter.com/BoilerBall/status/1508933092844711939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2022</a>
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<p id="Pcl53t">You can see he’s got two Flavor Flav like trophies because he won the male division and then also beat the champion of the female division to be crowned the champion of champions. As the tweet above notes you might remember the last Boilermaker to win this title as Ryan Cline. Cline of course would go on to have a very memorable career at Purdue where he came up big in the biggest games of his career. That Tennessee game will live on forever in highlights and all of our memories. </p>
<p id="gvDytW">So, clearly I’m saying that Loyer will be just as impactful, if not more so, than Ryan Cline right? Well, no. While I hope that’s the case that is an awful lot of expectation to throw onto a freshman who hasn’t played one real game in the Old Gold and Black. Instead, all of this is a long way of saying that Purdue has reinforcements coming who can hit the three consistently. </p>
<p id="nXHTgS">For those interested in a bit of family history of the Loyer family it should be noted that his brother Foster played at Michigan State before transferring to Davidson. His father is a scout for the LA Clippers and was previously the interim head coach for the Detroit Pistons. His grandfather played for the Boilermakers in 1964 and his mother served as an assistant coach on the Purdue volleyball program. So there’s a lot of both athletics and Purdue history from this family. For me, I love to see this type of player come home to Purdue after having so much history with the university. </p>
<p id="t0UCTt">Loyer has been thrust into the starting lineup as a true freshman joining classmate Braden Smith as one of two true freshman that are expected to begin the year in the starting lineup. That’s quite a feat on a Matt Painter coached team or just in college basketball in general. Loyer played 18 minutes against Truman State and struggled from the floor. In his first action in front of a crowd the true freshman was just 1-5 from deep and 1-7 from the floor overall. Most impressively though were the 6 assists to 0 turnovers that Loyer dished out. If this young man can truly find the open man like that he’ll be a valuable addition even when the shots aren’t falling. </p>
<p id="I476EF">Look for Loyer to stay in the starting lineup as the season progressed and for his shot to fall at he gets his feet under him. Loyer will be asked to do a lot this season but everything about his high school career, and his clock winning antics, show that he’s capable of stepping to the plate. Matt Painter and Purdue will need him to continue to do so for this season to be a success. </p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/7/23444913/less-than-2-days-to-purdue-basketball-fletcher-loyerjumboheroes2022-11-07T10:57:59-05:002022-11-07T10:57:59-05:00(Less Than) 3 Days to Purdue Basketball: Braden Smith
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<figcaption>Gotta love that intensity. | Noe Padilla/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>Could Smith live up to another #3 from Purdue? </p> <p id="X47xnQ">Purdue lost a boatload of experience at the point guard position in the offseason. Matt Painter lost Eric Hunter Jr. to the transfer portal, Jaden Ivey (not a traditional point guard of course) to the NBA, and Isaiah Thompson to the transfer portal. That’s a lot of minutes of ball handling to replace. Painter went out and hit the transfer portal hard trying to get the best available player. However, player after player committed elsewhere until Purdue found a transfer in David Jenkins Jr.. Jenkins doesn’t fit the mold of a traditional point guard, though he’s a fine player in his own right. That still left a hole at the point guard position for Matt Painter and the Boilermakers. Enter Braden Smith the true freshman. </p>
<p id="UQxAsL">Look, playing point guard in the Big Ten is one hell of a tough job. Starting at point guard in the Big Ten is an even tougher job. Starting at point guard in the Big Ten as a true freshman sounds damn near impossible. Yet here sits Braden Smith doing all of those things. The 6’0” true freshman from Westfield, Indiana is truly being thrown head first into the deep end of the pool. It’s sink or swim time for Smith. </p>
<p id="cW46Jf">He comes off of a great high school career in which he won Indiana Mr. Basketball joining prior winner Caleb Furst for back to back Indiana Mr. Basketball winners on this Purdue roster. Smith wound up the all-time leading scorer and assists leader at Westfield. He also helped them to their first sectional title in 105 years. Those are some accolades to cherish. Unfortunately, as soon as he steps on the floor in the newly designed, and wonderful looking, Purdue uniform it means exactly nothing. There are hundreds of players in college basketball that hold accolades similar or better than what Smith has. Now is the time to earn new honors and forget about your past. </p>
<p id="3IJUtV">Smith has a huge hole to fill on this Boilermaker squad and Painter seems to have all the confidence that he can fill it. Smith will share a number with former Purdue standout Chris Kramer and I hope that’s not where the similarities end. While defense is a whole lot different these days due to rule changes and freedom of movement implementation there’s still a lot to learn from the impact that Kramer had as a true freshman. Fellow H&R contributor <a href="https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/7/23444078/lack-of-experience-an-issue-at-point-guard-for-purdue-this-season">Jed Wilkinson wrote about this earlier</a> and I thought it was worth sharing. </p>
<blockquote><p id="mlC0uu">Chris Kramer, Purdue’s first notable young point guard under Painter, started 24 games as a true freshman and averaged 27.6 minutes per game. The lightly recruited Kramer (composite 159th player in 2006) only held offers from Purdue and Ball State. Known for his aggressive hard nosed, in your face defense, Kramer seemed to effuse what it meant to wear the Old Gold and Black for Purdue. The key, however, was Kramer averaging under 2 turnovers per game while handing out 2.5 assists and grabbing 2 steals. Kramer was successful because Painter didn’t ask him to do things he couldn’t do. Kramer bought into the role. He shot just 43% from the field but was a 71% free throw shooter and was the fifth offensive option on the floor. He was trusted to keep the ball moving and chip in on rebounding.</p></blockquote>
<p id="tdeYok">Ultimately that’s the goal for Smith. Take care of the basketball, play hard on defense, and excel where you can. No one is expecting, or even asking, Smith to look like Chris Paul or Steve Nash out there. What Purdue needs is a steady hand who is capable of executing the offense and limiting mistakes. In the first exhibition game against Truman State Smith, who looked a bit nervous to start, grabbed 6 rebounds, doled out 3 assists, and turned it over twice. Unfortunately, he was 0-2 from the floor but when you win a game by over 40 points it’s hard to quibble with offensive performances. </p>
<p id="WKtOeL">Smith will be asked to take on a huge burden this season there’s no doubt about it. He’s shown the skill, talent, and work ethic, to be able to carry that burden. But the offseason is different than the grind of a regular season. Can Smith hold up his end for 30+ games? That’s one of the main questions this team faces. As Jed said in his article, we’ve got to trust Matt Painter’s track record and hope that Smith is truly what we’ve been told. </p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/7/23444832/less-than-3-days-to-purdue-basketball-braden-smithjumboheroes2022-11-07T10:45:00-05:002022-11-07T10:45:00-05:00(Less Than) 4 Days to Purdue Basketball: Trey Kaufman-Renn
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<figcaption>Amazing what a difference a year can make. | Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>The redshirt freshman begins his Purdue journey this year. </p> <p id="tWo8LZ">When you get a top 50 recruit to commit to your program it’s a day to celebrate. A day to sit back and bask in the glory of your work and then get out there and get back at it. When Head Coach Matt Painter got the commitment of top 50 Trey Kaufman-Renn I’m sure his initial thought wasn’t that the would redshirt his first year. In fact, I’m not sure there was anyone out there who truly believed that. And yet, that’s where Kaufman-Renn found himself during his first year. There were a couple of factors that led to that decision, one being that Kaufman-Renn injured his hand in the offseason. This injury caused him to be unable to compete in the U-19 World Cup with Boilermakers Caleb Furst and Jaden Ivey (plus Canadian Zach Edey). Second, there was a bit of a log jam at the position for Kaufman-Renn. Would he have been able to overcome that and earn plenty of minutes for himself? It’s entirely possible but it seems like Painter’s philosophy lately has been why waste a perfectly good year for a great player who will only average 2-3 minutes a game. </p>
<p id="b3VOa9">This year will show if that decision by Painter, in conjunction with Kaufman-Renn, will have been a good one. As shown by his stellar play in the exhibition game against Truman State Kaufman-Renn can play all over the floor. While he only took one three in the game it looked effortless and smooth and something I think we might see a lot more of this year. </p>
<p id="sFUr9D">When Kaufman-Renn and Caleb Furst both committed in the same class there was some worry that the two couldn’t play together and/or that they simply were two players for one position. That doesn’t seem to be the case at least early on as Caleb Furst projects more as a small 5 or big 4 while Kaufman-Renn can play more along the perimeter and projects more as a 4 or 3. </p>
<p id="RKML96">Kaufman-Renn came off the bench against Truman State but grabbed 17 minutes, just three off the top, while going 6-7 from the floor including the aforementioned sweet three pointer. He also was able to grab 6 rebounds and went 2-4 from the free throw line. We certainly don’t love that but it’s a small enough sample size to not worry about it for any time at all. Over a longer time horizon I have faith that he’ll put it together. </p>
<p id="fMJpqf">Kaufman-Renn projects as one of the first off the bench. A key reserve if you will. But, like Brandon Newman numerically before him, he’s got a real chance to work himself into the starting lineup should someone above him struggle or Kaufman-Renn makes the change unavoidable. Painter has been known to keep his starting lineups fairly stable and has said quite frankly that he doesn’t care who starts games but rather who finishes them. With his skillset, and if his length can prove problematic for opposing defenses, I expect to see Kaufman-Renn finishing a lot of games this season. </p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/7/23444801/less-than-four-days-to-purdue-basketball-trey-kaufman-rennjumboheroes2022-11-07T10:15:19-05:002022-11-07T10:15:19-05:00(Less Than) 5 Days to Purdue Basketball: Brandon Newman
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<figcaption>Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p>Can this be a bounce back year for the Junior? </p> <p id="ULHrpV">Purdue basketball again finds itself in a transition year. They’ve lost two of their most productive players in Jaden Ivey and Trevion Williams. They lost a sharpshooter in Sasha Stefanovic, and they’ve lost two point guards in Isaiah Thompson and Eric Hunter Jr. That’s a lot of production to lose in one offseason. However, with a new influx of talent, and more opportunities for those in the program there’s reason to be excited for this season. </p>
<p id="Zo5SJo">Brandon Newman falls squarely into that second category. After a freshman season in which Newman really excelled he found himself languishing on the bench at times in his sophomore season. Even when he got additional opportunities he never seemed to be able to grasp them and that hurt his chances of playing even more. No game more embodies this then the game against Northwestern where he wound up going 0-5 from the floor. Over the next 12 games he played approximately five minutes. But that’s where the story gets interesting, to me at least. </p>
<p id="OGdSu2">Any number of players would have taken this demotion to the deep bench as a sign that his time at Purdue was over. At about that time I’m sure the transfer portal started to look really inviting. I’m sure he was getting bugs in his ear from people all over that hey maybe team X would give him a better opportunity. He could’ve pouted, he could’ve been angry, instead he put in the work. Our former big boss man Travis Miller caught him putting in the work after a game in which he didn’t play. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Keep at it <a href="https://twitter.com/ballislife_219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ballislife_219</a> <a href="https://t.co/U8U7eAxPXi">pic.twitter.com/U8U7eAxPXi</a></p>— Travis Miller (@JustTMill) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustTMill/status/1492955831289229316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2022</a>
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<p id="8p62tZ">After this Newman came back to life during the Big Ten Tournament against Penn State due to foul trouble. Newman went 4-4 from the floor and finished with 12 points. It was an incredible moment for a young man who clearly wanted and needed this moment. He had put in so much work that, speaking just for me personally, it was great to see. I remember being so happy for him. </p>
<p id="qbiWJn">Here’s a handy comparison of Newman’s first two years with the team. </p>
<p id="EixdWZ"><strong>2020-21 Stats: 28 games, 23 starts. 23.6 mpg, 8.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 39.8% FG%, 37.9% 3FG, 93.8% FT%</strong></p>
<p id="DHsRJZ"><strong>2021-22 Stats: 25 games, 1 start. 12.6 mpg, 4.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.6 apg, 32.1% FG%, 32.1% 3FG, 79.2% FT%</strong></p>
<p id="HEEg5y">In the only (non-secret) exhibition game of the season Newman came off the bench but still tied for the team lead in minutes with 20. He scored 13 points on 5-9 shooting while also grabbing 5 rebounds and dishing out one assist. It appeared as if specific plays were called when Newman came in the game to get him some looks. He had a nice midrange jumper shortly after he ended. </p>
<p id="wp3l5v">So what’s Newman’s outlook for the 2022-2023 season? Newman could find his way back into the starting lineup if he continues to play like he did during this exhibition against the vaunted Truman State defense. Most likely though he starts the year as one of the first off the bench and could average between 15-20 minutes a game in that case. What Purdue needs is a confident Newman who can come in and shoot closer to that 37.9% from three he shot as a freshman. Regardless, I’m just happy that Newman put in the work, fought hard for his role, and has found himself on the other side. That’s a true Boilermaker spirit. </p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2022/11/7/23444723/less-than-5-days-to-purdue-basketball-brandon-newmanjumboheroes