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Indianapolis Star
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
How seniors are setting the tone for Purdue basketball with championship expectations
WEST LAFAYETTE — When 7-foot-4 Daniel Jacobsen, returning after a lost freshman season due to a fractured tibia, dove head-first for a loose ball at Purdue basketball's first summer practice, it wasn't a cause for concern. It was an expectation. "Right now you're playing for a spot, you're playing for minutes to help this team win," senior guard Fletcher Loyer said. "If you're not diving on the ball, you're not going to play. So either you do it or sit over there and listen." Welcome to Boiler ball. Two seasons ago, the bar was raised with a national championship game loss. Last season, that bar wasn't met after a heartbreaking last-second loss to eventual NCAA runner-up Houston in the Sweet 16. In the offseason, the Boilermakers lost key pieces from the past two seasons and added more in hopes of clearing the final hurdle in April 2026. Coach Matt Painter and staff went all in on the offseason. Camden Heide transferred to Texas and Myles Colvin to Wake Forest. Brian Waddell departed, going to Bellarmine and Will Berg left for Wichita State. Insider: Transfer sharpshooter has title goals with Purdue, and to represent his borough Purdue addressed its biggest shortcomings of a year ago, rebounding and rim protection, in the addition of Oscar Cluff from South Dakota State and the return of Jacobsen from injury. Already with Antione West Jr. signed, Purdue also snagged Israeli point guard Omer Mayer as an added luxury and gets Jack Benter's production after he redshirted last year. If that isn't enough firepower, Liam Murphy, who shot 43.3% from 3 at North Florida last season, also transferred to Purdue. The Boilermakers are viewed as a top-5 team by most who post an early top 25 projections. Perhaps Purdue's greatest strength is its seniority. Last year's Big Ten Player of the Year and Bob Cousy Award winner Braden Smith joins Loyer and first-team All-Big Ten selection Trey Kaufman-Renn on a star-studded senior class that now includes Cluff and Murphy. "We're obviously very excited to see what they can bring and go from there," Smith said. The roster appears to have no weak spots, but winning requires more than talent. Purdue returns six players who started at least one game for it last season. "That's what it feels like on paper," Kaufman-Renn said. "Obviously you've got to get everybody together and see what it looks like practically as a team. That's the biggest process is getting guys here, not as far as just playing, but just gelling with all the new guys. "I think if that happens, like, I don't see why we're not the best team in the country."
Indianapolis Star
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Purdue basketball forward's return from injury may go international first
Purdue men's basketball center Daniel Jacobsen's return to full strength could include an international component this summer. The Boilermakers announced Tuesday the 7-foot-4 center will participate in Team USA tryouts ahead of the FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Switzerland. The training camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado, begins June 14. Tournament competition begins later in the month. Playing in FIBA events has become a right of passage for rising Boilermaker stars. Most recently, Myles Colvin helped Team USA win gold at the 2023 U19 World Cup. Jacobsen is one of seven players with college experience among the 33 invited to the tryout, according to the release. The others are incoming freshmen or high school players. Jacobsen also has prior experience on that stage, helping Team USA win gold at the FIBA U18 Americup in Argentina last summer. Caleb Swanigan (2014 and 2015), Trevion Williams (2019), Jaden Ivey and Caleb Furst (2021) all won gold at their respective age group Wold Cups. Zach Edey took bronze with Team Canada in 2021. Carsen Edwards played for Team USA's bronze-medal team in 2017. The international competition comes as Jacobsen continues his return from a freshman season cut abruptly short by injury. He debuted with 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in the season opener against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Then He suffered a broken tibia one minute into the second game of the season and did not play again. He was cleared for full contact not long after Purdue's season ended with a Sweet 16 loss to Houston in Indianapolis. While he could not play, other aspects of his development continued. For instance, Jacobsen was listed at 230 pounds last season but has grown to 250.
