What Purdue Guard Fletcher Loyer Said Following First Summer Practice
Fletcher Loyer has had a big role in his first two seasons at Purdue. Now, with Zach Edey, Mason Gillis, Lance Jones and Ethan Morton gone, the rising junior is expected to contribute even more during the 2024-25 campaign.
Last season, Loyer averaged 10.3 points and 1.9 assists per game while shooting over 44% from behind the 3-point line.
On Tuesday, Purdue held its first practice of the summer. Loyer met with reporters and talked about last season's success and what to expect for the upcoming year. Here's what the junior guard had to say.
On what Purdue is focusing on this summer ...
Loyer: "Just continue working. Obviously it's a new group, we lost some key pieces but we've got a lot to improve on. We still have the same goals in mind. There's no step back, only forward. Just getting our older guys to teach young guys the ropes and show them how we roll around here."
On how the veterans lead the incoming class ...
Loyer: "Doing things that Ethan Morton and Mason Gillis did for us. Doing things Zach (Edey) did for us. Whether it's showing up at 7 a.m. or diving on loose balls or talking to them after drills. Just showing them what to do and how to act, because getting to the national championship is tough. We want to do it again. So, just teaching them what we do and how we roll and then them improving and showing us their talent, as well."
On how the pieces fit together without Edey ...
Loyer: "Obviously, when you have a point guard like Braden, your offense moves. And it's gonna be a good offense. Playing around him, (Trey Kaufman-Renn) is a great force to have down low and just figuring out pieces to put around those two and figuring out how I can develop, as well. How I can get my looks, how I can move throughout the offense and score, as well."
On if Braden Smith needs to have a 'starting point' to run the offense ...
Loyer: "Yes and no. I think there's a lot of opportunity for a lot of guys but he's so good with the ball, he's so good at passing, he'll find people. Whether it's a lob or a kick-out three, he'll find the right shot for us."
On Loyer having the ball in his hands more this season ...
Loyer: "Yeah, I think I'm a pretty good passer, as well. Whether it's coming off screens or out in transition, just being able to playmake for others. Also looking to score more, looking to attack in gaps, attack in close-outs. Just being more aggressive and being stronger with the ball."
On if Loyer has to change his mentality with more opportunities ...
Loyer: "I wouldn't say change my mentality. My mentality is to win. Going out there and whether it's getting 20 or 15 or 10 or two, it's going out there to win. I gotta be more aggressive, I gotta look to attack gaps more and find my way to get into close-outs more. Ultimately it's just playing my game and being a little more aggressive with it."
On how Purdue's offense will change without Edey ...
Loyer: "We haven't really touched on that yet. Surely it will change because obviously Zach touched it a lot. Zach's one of the best college players of all time. When you don't have that, you gotta adjust. We're gonna figure a lot of things out this summer, good and bad and we're gonna move on and we're still gonna be a pretty damn good team come the fall."
On the incoming freshman class ...
Loyer: "Yeah, they've been impressive so far. More importantly, they've showed up early to work out the first day they got here. They showed up and played hard as hell in open gym. They showed up to compete and we all love that and we all notice that. Credit to them and we're gonna keep doing it and we're gonna teach them a lot and they're gonna teach us a lot."
On what lessons Loyer can teach the freshman class ...
Loyer: "I would say it all just comes down to being a good guy. You can make or miss shots, but ultimately it's June. ... Ultimately you can show up on time, you can do the right things and you can play hard. And that's what we're gonna do."
On reflecting on last year's success ...
Loyer: "Yeah, it's obviously something special we did for this school, for coach, for this town. It's a lot, but we didn't win. So, I think we are all hungry to go back and win another Big Ten championship and make another run in March and get back to the Final Four. We all know those goals, we all see it, we all see those banners that are gonna get put up. That means something to us, and we're gonna push these guys just as hard as we pushed each other last year."
On what Loyer has been working on in the offseason ...
Loyer: "Just working on my body, working on my game. It's go time now. I can't be the fifth option sometimes, I gotta move up, I gotta get better. Whether it's still finding the open guy or finding (my own) more, I gotta get stronger, I gotta put on some good weight and I gotta get better."
On how the defense changes without Edey ...
Loyer: "Yeah, we're gonna have to fly around a lot more, we're probably going to have to switch a lot more, we're gonna have to be more aggressive on the ball and we're gonna have to be better defensively. It's something we'll have to figure out, probably play a little bit different ball-screen coverage. But we'll figure it out."
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