Freshman Caleb Furst Finds Success in First NCAA Tournament Game for Purdue Basketball
MILWAUKEE — In a blowout win over Yale on Friday, Purdue's Caleb Furst saw his first NCAA Tournament action. The moment wasn't too big for the freshman forward, who said he wasn't nervous heading into the game.
His minutes were heavily matchup-dependent in conference play. But he was ready to step in and contribute for Boilermakers, helping push them toward a second-round contest coming up on Sunday.
"It's just a great experience. I just kind of wanted to go in and control what I can control," Furst said. "Try to do my thing."
He did just that, settling into the game and contributing 10 points in 21 minutes during the 78-56 victory. Furst made two shots from the field, grabbed four rebounds and knocked down five of six from the foul line.
"He was around the basketball, and he made his free throws," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "That's what we need. When he comes in there, he's got to play off of those guys and be able to make plays and rebound. And I thought he did that."
Furst hadn't logged more than 20 minutes in a game for the team since a nonconference victory over the University of the Incarnate Word back in December.
But he kept his game simple, took open shots as they came and distributed the basketball to his teammates. Furst didn't log an assist, but he showcased a confident stroke when he drilled a 3-pointer to put Purdue up 66-41 with 9:28 left in the second half.
Consistency from behind the arc is still a work in progress for the freshman, but Furst has never shied away from taking them when he's wide open.
"That's something I've worked on a lot throughout the year and I just try to take those opportunities when I have them," Furst said. "That's obviously something that pretty much everybody has to be able to do nowadays. So that's always something I want to continue working on."
But it can be hard to stay consistent when, on one night, you're on the floor for an extended period of time just to watch from the bench during the next.
Furst, who stands at 6-foot-10, often spells starting forward Mason Gillis against teams with larger players at their position. And Gillis' contributions to the Boilermakers can not be understated.
"Caleb hasn't played in some games because of matchups and it will continue to go down that road," Painter said. "When you have 10 guys you feel good about, sometimes later in the year, you get to an eight or nine-man rotation.
"It leaves a guy out and a lot of times, each individual guy looks at it like 'what did I do wrong?' When in reality, we're just playing somebody else because they match up better against that particular opponent."
With such a deep roster, Painter has preached to his players about staying ready even if minutes are seldom guaranteed. Furst has embraced his role and continues to grow into a player that the program can rely on moving forward.
Purdue will need every player to contribute at a high level in order to make a deep push in the NCAA Tournament. Furst showed he'll be ready to play whenever he steps foot on the court, even at a moment's notice.
"Every game is different depending on the personnel that the other team has, but (Painter) talks a lot about how you gotta be ready no matter what the situation is, whenever your number is called," Furst said. "So that's kind of just what I tried to do and what I try to do every game."
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- PURDUE STEAMROLLS YALE, 78-56: Purdue basketball got past Yale on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, led by Jaden Ivey's game-high 22 points. Zach Edey scored 16 points while Caleb Furst also added 10 off the bench. CLICK HERE
- WHAT MATT PAINTER SAID: Purdue basketball defeated Yale 78-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Here's everything coach Matt Painter had to say during the postgame press conference following the victory. CLICK HERE
- WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID: Here's everything players Jaden Ivey, Zach Edey and Sasha Stefanovic had to say during the postgame press conference following the victory. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE, YALE LIVE BLOG: Purdue basketball tipped off against Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday inside the Fiserv Forum. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.