Caleb Furst's Purdue Career Defined by Success on the Basketball Court and Beyond

Caleb Furst has enjoyed a lot of success on the basketball court during his Purdue career, but that's not the only thing that defines his time in West Lafayette.

Dustin Schutte | Mar 5, 2025

Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Furst (1) shakes hands with head coach Matt Painter / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Purdue Boilermakers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There was a little more excitement from the crowd when Caleb Furst's was name was called during the starting lineup introductions. Cheers were louder each time the senior forward collected a rebound. When he threw down an alley-oop in the first half of Tuesday's 100-71 win over Rutgers, it nearly blew the roof off of Mackey Arena.

This crowd loved Furst. Fans showed their appreciation for the senior when he left Keady Court for the final time, exiting the game to a standing ovation and chants of "We love Caleb!" It was the perfect sendoff for a player who stared adversity in the face and never flinched.

"I think anytime somebody is a part of success, a lot of times when you have to play a role, you get defined with the personnel, with great players and how you mix with guys," coach Matt Painter said after Tuesday's game. "Sometimes it gets difficult, right? You can look Trevion Williams, Jaden Ivey, Zach Edey, Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer — for him, I think it gets looked at as a standard of excellence on and off the court.

"For him, being defined through his adversity. He had a lot of success, but there's some personal adversity there where you don't play as much as you did earlier. So, for him to end his career by being part of that spark when we went to Minnesota and getting going and playing better, (that) really defines him. But it also defines him in how he handled himself when things didn't go his way."

Furst's journey at Purdue is well documented. He's bounced around from starter to role player throughout his career. As a senior, he started the season coming in off the bench before working his way back into the starting rotation.

Regardless of circumstance, Furst always approached every day with "joy," a word he used frequently in his Senior Day video. His attitude and perseverance was contagious in the locker room and on the practice court.

"He's coming in every single day with a smile, always working hard. He sets the tone," junior guard Braden Smith said. "He doesn't need to go out there and score 20 for us to win, he does all the small things for us. I think that's huge. He knows his role, knows how to do it at an elite level and he's won at such a high level.

"Having him around really helps because we see that as an older figure and it shows us — the younger guys — how to help the other younger guys do what he did and follow in his footsteps."

When it comes to basketball, all Furst knows is winning. Since arriving at Purdue, he's been part of two Big Ten regular season championship teams and has won a Big Ten Tournament title. The forward has been part of three — and soon to be four — NCAA Tournament teams, which includes last year's Final Four squad.

With 113 victories and counting, Furst is leaving West Lafayette as the all-time winningest player in Purdue history.

But basketball is only part of the success Furst has experienced during his time at Purdue. He's been accepted into medical school. He's engaged to be married. Over the course of his four-year career, he's proven to be much more than just an athlete.

"I think that's the big picture — it's taking an opportunity and a scholarship and not just getting a degree, it's trying to have a better life, understanding right from wrong," Painter said. "He was raised the right way, education is important, family is huge to him."

In today's era of college basketball, players like Furst are increasingly rare. He could have entered the transfer portal when he was shuffled around. He could have brought a negative attitude into practice when things didn't go his way.

Rather than sit on the sidelines and pout, Furst continued to work, continued to play with joy. Those traits are what Painter will remember most about his senior forward.

"Honor to coach him. Good dude," he said. "Good dude across the board."

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