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INDIANAPOLIS — In a matter of 34 seconds, Cam Heide went from hero to heartbreak.
Hunched in a chair inside the Purdue basketball locker room inside Lucas Oil Stadium following a 62-60 loss to the Houston Cougars, Heide tried to compartmentalize the whirlwind of emotions.
Many wrote off the Boilermakers long before Heide's game-tying 3 from the corner with 35 seconds left.
Whether it was when Purdue was down 10 in the second half Friday, when it lost six of nine games heading into the NCAA Tournament, when it suffered four straight losses in February, when the Boilermakers got blown out by Marquette, Penn State and Auburn in the span of a month or when Zach Edey was the ninth overall pick in the NBA draft, doubters filed the 2024-25 season into the "rebuilding year" category with eyes on what Purdue could be the next season.
Purdue, though, never looked ahead to next season because all along the Boilermakers believed they could replicate last year's success this season.
More: Heartbreaker for Purdue basketball in Sweet 16. Houston hits game winner in final second
"It first and foremost starts with coach (Matt Painter)," said Caleb Furst, Purdue's lone senior this season. "He's always been so adamant about doing things the right way, doing things with integrity. As you can see, it obviously pays off doing things the right way and getting the right types of guys that fit the program."
The Boilermakers were one play away from an improbable upset of Houston in the Sweet 16.
After the final nine-tenths of a second ticked off the clock early Saturday morning, reality set in that next season is here.
Purdue could theoretically return its entire team, aside from Furst, and adds incoming freshman Antione West. Painter said Thursday his coaches will be active adding to the roster via the transfer portal.
The Boilermakers could, much like last season, enter next year as one of the favorites to win the whole dang thing.
"It's something that's been talked about just kind of here and there," Heide said, adding that it was hard to conceptualize given the recency of Purdue's loss. "We essentially return the exact same team. It's something everybody is super, super excited about. As soon as we get going again, it's going to be fun."
Gicarri Harris and CJ Cox, both enduring the ebbs and flows of being freshmen, feel more equipped to handle college basketball moving forward.
Heide and Myles Colvin became invaluable parts of Purdue's NCAA Tournament success. Daniel Jacobsen will return healthy from a broken leg.
Now, the recurring visual of Milos Uzan's last-second shot to beat Purdue in the Sweet 16.
"It just motivates us. We keep it in the back of our head to better ourselves and come back next year and not make the same mistake," Colvin said. "It wasn't on one person or anybody. It's a collective team effort. We had a great effort the whole game.
"It's really big to see that we have the potential to be one of the top teams in the country and better ourselves in the offseason."
Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn will be seniors, at least two of them probably preseason first-team All-Americans and Smith the likely frontrunner for next season's National Player of the Year.
The reality in the transfer portal era, though, is this roster could also look different.
Those discussions between players and coaches begin next week. Painter said he won't deter a player on his roster from making a decision they feel best benefits them.
Those who believe returning to Purdue is the best scenario, well, Painter will take those guys to war next season. And the Boilermakers might very well end their season in Indianapolis again next year: in the Final Four.
"I know this, we'll have a good team next year and we'll be competitive and you just try to learn from some of these tough losses," Painter said.
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: Purdue basketball's NCAA Tournament heartbreak fuels future
Continue reading...
Hunched in a chair inside the Purdue basketball locker room inside Lucas Oil Stadium following a 62-60 loss to the Houston Cougars, Heide tried to compartmentalize the whirlwind of emotions.
Many wrote off the Boilermakers long before Heide's game-tying 3 from the corner with 35 seconds left.
Whether it was when Purdue was down 10 in the second half Friday, when it lost six of nine games heading into the NCAA Tournament, when it suffered four straight losses in February, when the Boilermakers got blown out by Marquette, Penn State and Auburn in the span of a month or when Zach Edey was the ninth overall pick in the NBA draft, doubters filed the 2024-25 season into the "rebuilding year" category with eyes on what Purdue could be the next season.
Purdue, though, never looked ahead to next season because all along the Boilermakers believed they could replicate last year's success this season.
More: Heartbreaker for Purdue basketball in Sweet 16. Houston hits game winner in final second
"It first and foremost starts with coach (Matt Painter)," said Caleb Furst, Purdue's lone senior this season. "He's always been so adamant about doing things the right way, doing things with integrity. As you can see, it obviously pays off doing things the right way and getting the right types of guys that fit the program."
As Purdue basketball season ends, next season begins
The Boilermakers were one play away from an improbable upset of Houston in the Sweet 16.
After the final nine-tenths of a second ticked off the clock early Saturday morning, reality set in that next season is here.
Purdue could theoretically return its entire team, aside from Furst, and adds incoming freshman Antione West. Painter said Thursday his coaches will be active adding to the roster via the transfer portal.
The Boilermakers could, much like last season, enter next year as one of the favorites to win the whole dang thing.
"It's something that's been talked about just kind of here and there," Heide said, adding that it was hard to conceptualize given the recency of Purdue's loss. "We essentially return the exact same team. It's something everybody is super, super excited about. As soon as we get going again, it's going to be fun."
Gicarri Harris and CJ Cox, both enduring the ebbs and flows of being freshmen, feel more equipped to handle college basketball moving forward.
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Heide and Myles Colvin became invaluable parts of Purdue's NCAA Tournament success. Daniel Jacobsen will return healthy from a broken leg.
Now, the recurring visual of Milos Uzan's last-second shot to beat Purdue in the Sweet 16.
"It just motivates us. We keep it in the back of our head to better ourselves and come back next year and not make the same mistake," Colvin said. "It wasn't on one person or anybody. It's a collective team effort. We had a great effort the whole game.
"It's really big to see that we have the potential to be one of the top teams in the country and better ourselves in the offseason."
Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn will be seniors, at least two of them probably preseason first-team All-Americans and Smith the likely frontrunner for next season's National Player of the Year.
The reality in the transfer portal era, though, is this roster could also look different.
Those discussions between players and coaches begin next week. Painter said he won't deter a player on his roster from making a decision they feel best benefits them.
Those who believe returning to Purdue is the best scenario, well, Painter will take those guys to war next season. And the Boilermakers might very well end their season in Indianapolis again next year: in the Final Four.
"I know this, we'll have a good team next year and we'll be competitive and you just try to learn from some of these tough losses," Painter said.
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: Purdue basketball's NCAA Tournament heartbreak fuels future
Continue reading...
