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PROVIDENCE, R.I. − Fletcher Loyer sat tucked between a wall and his locker in the Purdue basketball dressing room Wednesday morning, braced for the questions he knew were coming.
All were related to Loyer's left elbow, injured March 14 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals against Michigan.
Loyer's response: He's fine and he'll play in Thursday's NCAA Tournament first round against High Point, echoing what Boilermaker coach Matt Painter said on Sunday night.
In case that wasn't enough verification, after Purdue took the court at Amica Mutual Pavilion for open practice, Loyer, wearing a protective sleeve on his left arm, sprinted to the far end and shot a left-handed layup.
At one point, Loyer drained 17 straight 3-pointers from the corner before hitting a series of bank shots from the wing and one-handed runners.
More: Loss, Ivy League smarts, 'unbelievable kid': Purdue basketball freshman C.J. Cox total package
More: Why Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter recruits high school state champions
But Loyer's impact goes beyond his 13.8 points per game or 46.4% 3-point shooting, and those other reasons are why he's invaluable if Purdue is going to make another March Madness run.
Ask Loyer what he brings to a Purdue roster that's bulked by point guard Braden Smith and center Trey Kaufman-Renn and he won't respond with scoring or shooting, the two things most associate Loyer with.
"Just having played here for a while and learning how we score kind of the sets we run and how I can move," Loyer said. "People (and) how they guard me and how I can get other people shots. Just being a good cutter and being a good screener."
If you think that doesn't have an impact, you're wrong.
Aaron Fine is a walk-on who is redshirting this season. Last season when he was playing high school basketball for the Noblesville Millers, he was studying Loyer. And now, as his teammate, even more so.
"He's really showed me and the other younger guys what it is like to be an elite basketball player who handles his business, works hard and doesn't do a lot of things wrong," Fine said. "He's been a great role model for us."
Jack Benter, a freshman who is redshirting who, like Loyer, is a coach's kid, had the unenviable task of having to try to guard Loyer during fall 5-on-5 sessions.
That's when Benter learned how crafty Loyer is and why he's able to pick apart opposing defenses.
"He's a very smart player," Benter said. "He can read angles and he's really good at attacking closeouts and he can really shoot. When you put all those together, it's very hard to guard."
If Loyer's elbow injury — a sprain Painter called it Sunday — was lingering and rendered the junior guard unplayable for the NCAA Tournament, he'd still have value.
During timeouts, Painter often turns to Loyer for his perspective on the floor.
"He's honestly probably one of the smartest basketball players I've been around," redshirt sophomore Cam Heide said. "Just his knowledge of the game, his knowledge for our system is among the best I've seen."
Loyer has started all 107 games in his Purdue career.
In areas where he lacks, Loyer makes up for it with basketball intelligence.
"It's like he's an adult, like he's my age or other coaches' ages the way he communicates," assistant coach PJ Thompson said. "He does it in a way that helps Purdue."
To the outside world, that might be undervalued.
In Purdue's locker room, it certainly isn't.
"He's the one pumping everybody up. He's the one talking in the huddles. He's the one bringing us all together," Smith said. "That goes a long way and it may not get an award for it, but it shows and it helps us and benefits us at the end of the day."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Fletcher Loyer's impact for Purdue basketball in NCAA Tourmament
Continue reading...
All were related to Loyer's left elbow, injured March 14 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals against Michigan.
Loyer's response: He's fine and he'll play in Thursday's NCAA Tournament first round against High Point, echoing what Boilermaker coach Matt Painter said on Sunday night.
In case that wasn't enough verification, after Purdue took the court at Amica Mutual Pavilion for open practice, Loyer, wearing a protective sleeve on his left arm, sprinted to the far end and shot a left-handed layup.
At one point, Loyer drained 17 straight 3-pointers from the corner before hitting a series of bank shots from the wing and one-handed runners.
More: Loss, Ivy League smarts, 'unbelievable kid': Purdue basketball freshman C.J. Cox total package
More: Why Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter recruits high school state champions
But Loyer's impact goes beyond his 13.8 points per game or 46.4% 3-point shooting, and those other reasons are why he's invaluable if Purdue is going to make another March Madness run.
Fletcher Loyer a 'role model' for Purdue basketball
Ask Loyer what he brings to a Purdue roster that's bulked by point guard Braden Smith and center Trey Kaufman-Renn and he won't respond with scoring or shooting, the two things most associate Loyer with.
"Just having played here for a while and learning how we score kind of the sets we run and how I can move," Loyer said. "People (and) how they guard me and how I can get other people shots. Just being a good cutter and being a good screener."
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If you think that doesn't have an impact, you're wrong.
Aaron Fine is a walk-on who is redshirting this season. Last season when he was playing high school basketball for the Noblesville Millers, he was studying Loyer. And now, as his teammate, even more so.
"He's really showed me and the other younger guys what it is like to be an elite basketball player who handles his business, works hard and doesn't do a lot of things wrong," Fine said. "He's been a great role model for us."
Jack Benter, a freshman who is redshirting who, like Loyer, is a coach's kid, had the unenviable task of having to try to guard Loyer during fall 5-on-5 sessions.
That's when Benter learned how crafty Loyer is and why he's able to pick apart opposing defenses.
"He's a very smart player," Benter said. "He can read angles and he's really good at attacking closeouts and he can really shoot. When you put all those together, it's very hard to guard."
Knowledge sets Fletcher Loyer apart
If Loyer's elbow injury — a sprain Painter called it Sunday — was lingering and rendered the junior guard unplayable for the NCAA Tournament, he'd still have value.
During timeouts, Painter often turns to Loyer for his perspective on the floor.
"He's honestly probably one of the smartest basketball players I've been around," redshirt sophomore Cam Heide said. "Just his knowledge of the game, his knowledge for our system is among the best I've seen."
Loyer has started all 107 games in his Purdue career.
In areas where he lacks, Loyer makes up for it with basketball intelligence.
"It's like he's an adult, like he's my age or other coaches' ages the way he communicates," assistant coach PJ Thompson said. "He does it in a way that helps Purdue."
To the outside world, that might be undervalued.
In Purdue's locker room, it certainly isn't.
"He's the one pumping everybody up. He's the one talking in the huddles. He's the one bringing us all together," Smith said. "That goes a long way and it may not get an award for it, but it shows and it helps us and benefits us at the end of the day."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Fletcher Loyer's impact for Purdue basketball in NCAA Tourmament
Continue reading...
