Matt Painter Provides Tremendous Insight on Marquette's Program, Kam Jones' Development
Matt Painter has become one of the true gems of college basketball. His insightfulness into the game and honesty in the media has provided us with some of the best commentary in the sport. Tuesday night was no difference, when the Purdue coach talked about the program Shaka Smart has established at Marquette, as well as the development of star Kam Jones.
Painter's sixth-ranked Boilermakers were defeated 76-58 in Milwaukee by No. 15 Marquette on Tuesday. It was the program's first nonconference loss in the regular season since 2020, having won 39 straight.
Jones was sensational, recording the third triple-double in program history. He scored 17 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in the win for the Golden Eagles.
"I thought he was a seasoned veteran tonight. He didn't kill us until he had to. You know what I mean? He just didn't come out and shoot pull-up 30-footers or take bad shots," Painter said of Jones' performance on Tuesday. "We did a good job, we gave him a lot of attention and when the game just went its way, then all of the sudden, he just picked his spots at the right time. And he dominated the game in other areas. He got 13 rebounds as a point guard. He got 10 assists.
"When he came here, he wasn't that. He came here as a shooter and now he's a player. He's really helping his cause. Hats off to him, that's what it's about."
Painter and Smart have built similar programs at their respective schools. On Tuesday night, the top-15 battle between Purdue and Marquette featured no transfer players — a true rarity in today's era of college basketball.
That's just one thing that Painter admires about Marquette. He didn't directly say it, but you could tell he sees a lot of similarities between his program and Smart's. He also believes that's a big reason why Jones, as well as so many others on the roster, are finding success.
"They've got a good program and I think it's a good lesson for a lot players out there, to look at what Marquette's done and look at there guys. All the guys I've mentioned from (David) Joplin to Stevie Mitchell to Chase Ross to Kam. They have a program, even if you're not the one or two options, stay at a program even if you don't start," Painter said.
"Look at that crowd you play in front of. Look at the atmosphere you have. You get a great education at Marquette. But you stay and battle through adversity, and you're a team. That's cool, right? That's what it's about. Marquette's got something special."
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EVERYTHING MATT PAINTER SAID: Purdue lost a nonconference regular season game for the first time since 2020 on Tuesday night, falling 76-58 to Marquette. Here's what coach Matt Painter said after the loss. CLICK HERE
PURDUE VETERANS NOT DWELLING ON LOSS: Purdue struggled on the road against Marquette on Tuesday, falling 76-58. But veterans Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn aren't dwelling on the loss. Instead, the focus is on improvement. CLICK HERE
