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For Purdue's seniors, one last run, and much responsibility

Each of Purdue's three seniors this season — Eric Hunter, Sasha Stefanovic and Trevion Williams — have already been faced with a decision very few players have encountered, let alone whole classes.

When faced with that choice, all three decided that this season to come would be their final years of college basketball. Barring anything unforeseen, this will be their final year at Purdue. Each could have exercised their extra pandemic seasons and returned in 2022-2023, but after Matt Painter broached the topic after last season in the interest of recruiting planning, all three decided against it.

Things can always change, but likely won't.

"We want to make this year is the year people remember us for," Hunter said.

All three will be prominent players for what might be one of the country's best teams. They're Purdue's three captains. Williams is a returning All-American. Hunter's Purdue's point guard and its defensive heartbeat. Stefanovic is one of the Big Ten's best shooters and a crucial element to so much of what the Boilermakers do offensively.

But their roles transcend such things now.

Leadership is always part of a senior class' job description, but this year is unique, as so much has been the past 18 months or so.

Purdue is faced this season with expectations unlike any seen for several years now.

"I think what happens when you get picked to be one of the better teams, your management of that becomes really crucial in terms of your success," Painter said last week at Big Ten media day in Indianapolis. "We don't want to have a celebration in October or November. We want to be in the position they're saying we should be in in late February and March, competing for a Big Ten championship and getting a low number next to our name.

"But we have to earn that every single day and do a lot of little things so your program can be successful."

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Setting that tone will be part of the seniors' job, one they say they embrace.

"The biggest thing for us is just realizing it ourselves, taking a step back and realizing the opportunity with the team we have," Hunter said. "This is the only time we're going to have this team. Taking advantage of this opportunity should be a big emphasis for us."

At the same time, this is a three-man class that has been through virtually everything. They've won the Big Ten. They've nearly gone to the Final Four. They've disappointed. They've had a season stopped in its tracks by a pandemic, then played the next season in the throes of that pandemic. They've played in empty arenas, and full arenas, even a bubble.

They experienced ahead-of-schedule success last season, then flamed out In the postseason.

"We don't ever want to feel like that again," Williams said.

They've been through everything; their teammates have been through so little.

The three seniors and junior Isaiah Thompson are the only Boilermakers this season who've played a college game in front of a full-capacity crowd, one of the many other uncommon dynamics around this season — who'll play best with fans back? Who'll lose their minds on the road and who won't?

Those areas are ones where Purdue's seniors will want to be the Boilermakers' equilibrium. This isn't necessarily a young team anymore, but it's not exactly a richly experienced one, either.

"Really where we come in as leaders and captains of this team is providing that steadiness through the entire season," Stefanovic said. "Not getting too high, not getting too low whether we're winning or losing. Maintaining that mentality throughout the year and helping the young guys along the way, that's going to be really important for us."

Purdue will draw leadership from players who aren't seniors, as well, but for the three oldest Boilermakers, it's especially important.

"It's just big on us to be vocal," Hunter said. "This is the most vocal season we'll have. It's going to be on us seniors to let everyone know they're going to go through stuff, experience a lot of different emotions, but you have to be able to rein that stuff in and move to the next play."

That hasn't always come naturally for this group.

"We're still working on it," Hunter said. "I think if you want to be a leader, if you want to be a captain you have to be a continuous learner whether it's from your coaches or learning from your teammates. You have to be able to take everything in and spit it back out."

Most of the players on Purdue's team have never dealt with preseason expectations.

Last summer, they weren't sure there'd be a season up until the fall.

Now, this season.

"This will be our last year with this team, so we've got to make the most of it," Hunter said.

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