Boilermakers Country

Purdue Basketball Announces Two Staff Additions, One Promotion

Former Purdue basketball players Spike Albrecht and Tommy Luce will join the program as graduate assistants. P.J. Thompson is set to remain on the staff after being promoted to the team's director of player development.

D.J. Fezler

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter announced Friday that former Boilermakers Spike Albrecht and Tommy Luce will join the program as graduate assistants. Graduate assistant P.J. Thompson remains on the staff after being elevated to director of player development. 

“Spike, Tommy and P.J., will all be welcome additions. We are excited for them to be part of our staff moving forward,” Painter said in a release. “All three were Big Ten Champions and helped us win a lot of games. They have spent the last couple of years breaking into the coaching ranks and will be able to step right in and help our program immediately.”

Thompson is a 2018 Purdue graduate and aided in the development of the Boilermakers' guards last season. He helped mentor Jaden Ivey, Brandon Newman, Sasha Stefanovic, Eric Hunter Jr., Ethan Morton and Isaiah Thompson. 

With strong play from the team's backcourt, Purdue finished the 2020-21 season with an 18-10 record, including 13-6 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers went on to earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

Before joining the Purdue basketball staff, Thompson played professionally in the Netherlands during the 2018-19 season. 

Thompson was a three-year starter at Purdue and finished his collegiate career with a 2.94 assist to turnover ratio, which ranks second in program history. He appeared in 137 games for the Boilermakers — eighth-most in school history — while helping the team to a Big Ten Championship in 2017 and two Sweet 16 appearances. 

By posting a 102-35 record during his career at Purdue, Thompson is the winningest point guard in program history. 

Albrecht, a native of Crown Point, Indiana, will enter his first year as a graduate assistant at Purdue. As a 2016 Michigan graduate, he helped the Wolverines to a 2013 Final Four appearance and a Big Ten title in 2014. 

He then joined the Boilermakers as a graduate transfer for the 2016-17 season, helping the team earn a regular-season championship and a Sweet 16 appearance. Albrecht earned his master's degree in technology, leadership and innovation.

After leaving Purdue, Albrecht joined the Northfield Mount Herman preparatory school staff for a season before a stint with Louisville as a graduate assistant. He operated a basketball training business in Northwest Indiana for the past year. 

Luce will also enter his first season as a graduate assistant after a productive four-year career at Purdue. He and Albrecht will be in charge of opponent scouting, film breakdown, helping with individual workouts and administrative duties. 

Luce was a 2020 graduate that finished with Big Ten Championship victories in 2017 and 2019, two Sweet 16 appearances, one trip to the Elite Eight and 99 total wins. 

Last year, Luce worked as a sales representative for Shelby Materials in Beech Grove, Indiana, and was an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Greenwood High School. He was responsible for working out the guards during practices and workouts, putting together scouting reports while conducting team camps in the fall and spring.

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D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

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. 

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