After one door closes, a new one opens.
Tuesday began a new era for the Boilermakers as Purdue men’s basketball went back to the court for Day 2 of summer practice. This off-season brings back returning players but also welcomes in new Boilermakers for the upcoming season.
“You just don’t know at this point, so you just work on the pillars of the game, taking care of the basketball, guarding the basketball, rebounding the basketball. Just really go from there,” said Coach Matt Painter in reference to what the new team is working on in the first two days of practice.
Third-year center Daniel Jacobsen rebounds the ball during Tuesday’s summer practice at Cardinal Court.
Andrew Coleman | Staff Reporter
For the returning players, it’s a matter of getting back to the gym and rebuilding a routine. For other returning players such as junior guard C.J. Cox, sophomore center Daniel Jacobsen and junior guard Gicarri Harris, they have stepped into new positions of leadership.
After losing to No. 1-seed Arizona to close out March Madness, the Boilers lost three significant seniors to the starting lineup in Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn, the winningest class in Purdue history. Today, the once younger classmen are accepting much more responsibility.
“We looked up to (the 2026 seniors), those were like the main guys for us, and now (incoming upperclassmen) kind of got to take that role, and now we’re accountable for everybody else, and we’re going to be looked up to by the other guys, so just being those leaders for them and being there for them,” Cox said.
Outside of Purdue’s familiar men on the court, there are some familiar-yet-fresh faces who also plan to reach the court. Both redshirt freshman guard Antione West Jr. and sophomore forward Raleigh Burgess plan to leave their marks on the court during this upcoming season after sitting out last year.
Redshirt freshman Antione West Jr. dribbles during Tuesday’s summer practice at Cardinal Court.
Andrew Coleman | Staff Reporter
West and Burgess have been said to make real efforts in the gym in terms of bulking up on physicality for the season. While on the court, Burgess has gone even further to transition between playing both center and forward, similarly to Kaufman-Renn’s appearances late last season.
“Raleigh’s been in the gym a lot, been a lot physically, and that’s something that we’re going to need this year with rebounding, and Antoine has been putting a lot of work in the gym,” Cox said “We’ve worked out multiple times this summer, and he’s definitely taken his game to a different level, so he’ll be a great help for us too.”
Freshman guard Jacob Webber shoots during Tuesday’s summer practice on Cardinal Court.
Andrew Coleman | Staff Reporter
There are brand-new faces, too, joining the court for their first collegiate moments in the Gold and Black. Despite the limited amount of time they’ve had to adjust to the team, signs are good from senior forward Caden Pierce, freshman guard Luke Ertel, freshman guard Jacob Webber, freshman forward Rivers Knight and freshman center Sinan Huan. Ertel could have an early impact, and showed his range in practice Tuesday afternoon in Cardinal Court.
Outside of that, some new members of the team have struggled in adjusting to new terminology from the Painter and coaching staff. To help assist, upperclassmen such as Cox have helped new players by providing study material to help strengthen their Purdue basketball IQ.
Still looking ahead of the future, Painter mentioned the possibility of adding another player to the roster, specifically “working through it.” But he didn’t release any other information.
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