Caleb Furst Talks Final Home Game vs. Indiana, 'Finding Joy' with Purdue Basketball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Caleb Furst still has a lot of basketball remaining in his final season at Purdue, but Friday night does close at least one chapter for the senior forward. For the last time in his Boilermaker career, he'll play rival Indiana inside Mackey Arena.
The environment at Mackey Arena is one of the most hostile in college basketball, which only intensifies when Purdue's biggest rival comes to town. Without question, Furst is looking forward to one last battle with the Hoosiers on his home court.
"It's always a fun and great opportunity to play against a school that we have a lot of history with," Furst said. "Really looking forward to it."
Furst is 3-3 against Indiana in his first three seasons at Purdue. On Friday night, he'll have a chance to break that tie and be on the right side of the .500 mark against the Boilers' biggest rival.
In order for the Boilers to get a win on their home court, Furst says the focus has to be on doing the right things and making the right plays.
"First and foremost, whoever we're playing against, we're focused on ourselves," he said. "Focused on the things we do right, whether it's offensively or defensively."
The Purdue-Indiana rivalry is one that Furst grew up watching as an in-state kid. What makes the game even more special is having so many kids from the Hoosiers state — or Boilermaker state, whichever — playing.
A total of 16 kids from Indiana are on the two rosters — 11 for the Boilermakers and five for the Hoosiers. Furst says that speaks to the high skill level located within the state.
"I think it's a testament to the talent in Indiana as a whole. The level of players they have from Indiana and the level of players we have from Indiana, as well," he said. "I think they start two or three guys from Indiana, we start four — it's just a testament to the talent in Indiana."
Furst is one of those four in-state starters for Purdue. He's had an interesting journey at Purdue, going from a starter as a sophomore to a role player in his junior season. This year, he's re-emerged as one of the top players for the Boilermakers, especially from a defensive standpoint.
His numbers may not be eye-popping — averaging 4.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game — but his impact has been nearly immeasurable. The Boilermakers are 7-1 since he's been in the starting rotation, and have shown drastic improvement on the defensive end.
It goes without saying that Furst would like to add another victory over Indiana to his list of accomplishments at Purdue. But right now, he's not focusing on just one game. He's taking his final season in West Lafayette one day at a time.
"Just having joy each and every day, whether it's in practice, whether it's a game day, whether it's an off day, whatever," Furst said. "Just having joy and being thankful for all the days I've been able to do this."
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