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Purdue basketball is officially back. The 22nd of September marked the first official practice for Purdue’s 2026-27 team.
After the winningest four years in Purdue history, Matt Painter leads a squad of young Boilers as they try to take over a program recently vacated by Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer.
Now, CJ Cox, Omer Mayer, and Daniel Jacobsen look to take on new roles and continue the most successful run in Purdue history.
To get ready for the start of practice (Media will get to see the team on Friday), let’s go through the roster, asking the most pressing question for each player.
C. J. Cox | Guard | 6-3 | Jr.
Will he shoot enough?
It’s simple. CJ Cox is Purdue’s most decorated player. The proven commodity. He earned a starting role halfway through his true freshman year and has excelled as a fourth or fifth option on an offense dominated by Smith, Loyer, and Kaufman-Renn. But that hasn’t stopped Cox from flashing in moments. He’s a shot-creator, capable of scoring off the dribble and with the catch and shoot.
But this year’s team needs a leader and a lead scorer. Purdue’s coaching staff wants Cox to be both.
But will Cox be able to translate hyper efficiency as a role player into high volume aggressiveness? It could very well define Purdue’s ceiling.
Antione West Jr. | Guard | 6-3 | (RS) Freshman
Was the summer real?
West consistently looked like Purdue’s most dynamic player during its summer trip on the western coast of Canada.
West redshirted last year, but has tantalized from the moment he got onto campus. West has size, point guard acumen, scoring, and the kind of athleticism that makes him a potential two-way star. Painter went as far as to say West will be great earlier this summer, just a matter of when.
Well if the summer is to be believed, it might be now. West looked like Purdue’s most aggressive guard, and the best scorer in the back court. West has three-level scoring potential, but scoring against Canadian clubs isn’t quite like becoming a freshman star in the Big Ten.
There’s also the problem of playing time. Purdue’s backcourt is loaded. CJ Cox and Omer Mayer seem like the most obvious starters. Gicarri Harris could be poised for a breakout. Luke Ertel is the most natural back up point guard. Jack Benter is a hybrid guard/wing. True freshman Jacob Webber might be the best shooter on the roster.
Can West breakthrough in his first season on the floor for Painter?
Luke Ertel | Guard | 6-2 | True Freshman
Is Ertel Purdue’s next great point guard?
Ertel comes to Purdue with all the high school accolades. He just seems like a Purdue point guard. That used to be something of a curse, now, after the ascension of the likes of Braden Smith, it’s some big shoes to fill.
Omer Mayer is already on the roster, and Ertel will have to go through some growing pains as a true freshman. Maybe? Ertel is as good as you can get at playing basketball. He’s a lights out shooter. A tough defender with heady instincts and has been great as a connector both on and off ball. There’s a chance he’s not just Purdue’s best point guard off the bench, but best two guard, too. There’s room for him to play a lot.
But can Ertel be undeniable from day one? That changes the equation for Purdue who is looking for someone to take the mantle of leader of the offense after Braden Smith.
Jacob Webber | Guard | 6-6 | True Freshman
Will Webber’s shot need translating?
Matt Painter has an incredible freshmen class this season. There’s upside. There’s skill. There’s size. Still, true freshman all have growing pains.
Jacob Webber might be one of the most intriguing future prospect for Painter. Webber’s body needs work. Despite length, he’s skinny. Webber made a career off making tough shots in high school. He might be the best shooter to come into the Big Ten this season. He’s the exact kind of creative off ball and off the dribble shooter that can ignite offenses.
But Webber’s still adjusting to college speed and bodies. Will the shooting translate right away? If it doesn’t, despite redshirting rules changing, there’s not likely minutes for him this season. He’s a prototypical redshirt candidate for Painter under old rules. Now he’s an intriguing, break in case of emergency freshman or piece for the future when more the offense can be ran through him.
Jack Benter | Guard | 6-6 | (RS) Sophomore
Does Jack Benter the shooter enter the chat?
By the numbers, Benter was a 40% shooter from three his freshman season. That’s a big mark for someone playing his first real minutes, often out of position. It wasn’t on a non-significant amount of attempts either. Benter fired off 88 three-pointers in his freshman campaign. Including a three game stretch where he made 10 straight three-point attempts.
Unfortunately that hot shooting happened early in the season. In conference play, Benter shot less than 30% from three.
The reason Benter’s shooting is so important is because of all the extra stuff Benter does on the court. He’s already shown himself as an elite charge-drawer, but on a bigger scale, Benter’s size and skill allows him to transform the entire rotation based on where and who he is playing with. Add to that, Benter is one of Purdue’s most natural playmaker. As Purdue transitions to an offense away from Smith controlling everything from a play making standpoint, Purdue needs all the ball movement help it can get.
If Benter is the light out shooter he was in high school and what he’s shown during his hot streaks, he’ll be nearly impossible to take off the floor with all the other things he does well. He will also make everyone else’s job easier on the floor.
Benter’s varied skilled, as an undersized four or overside guard, could allow him to thrive in any rotation. If the shot is falling, it might be as both.
Omer Mayer | Guard | 6-4 | Sophomore
Can he find balance between shot maker and play maker?
Mayer’s early returns have been uneven. In practice, in Canada, last season, the ball sticks in Mayer’s hands. It doesn’t seem as natural as it was supposed to with him at the helm. Mayer’s been better off the ball, as a secondary option and emergency release valve for the offense than the captain getting it to run.
Mayer seems stuck between two worlds: play maker and shot maker.
Mayer is a big guard with a shot that’s streaky. He has bona fides as a mid-range shot maker, a decent three-point shooter, and a body that should allow him to bully his way to any shot he wants. The mix hasn’t been right yet. He can kill possessions dribbling. He isn’t always quick enough to make clean breaks past his defenders. He can get to his pull up whenever he wants but he’s not a lights out shooter. He hasn’t involved his teammates in the pick roll and as naturally as his predecessor. Finding that balance might be what Purdue’s ceiling relies most on this season. There’s an All-American hiding in Mayer and its not hard to see. There’s also a point guard that doesn’t get the most out of the play calling and players around him.
Gicarri Harris | Guard | 6-3 | Junior
Is this the year it clicks?
Harris has been the most tantalizing player at Purdue since he joined the Boilers.
Harris might be Purdue’s best athlete. He might be its best defender. He could be one of its most balanced offensive threats. He’s done a great job becoming a threat from the three-point line. But the rest of his offensive production has been inconsistent. At times, Harris looks like a transition game breakers. He’ll have drives to the rim that makes him seem impossible to stop.
But he also vanishes. For minutes, games, stretches in the season. Harris has never been bad. He’s risen to the occasion and always been a net positive on the floor. Still, his ceiling seems higher than he’s achieve. He has yet to become a lead guard, and this team seems ripe for him to unleash himself as a more dominant and consistent presence on both sides of the ball.