Newcomers change Purdue's look
It remains to be seen how much Purdue's newcomers will be impact this coming season, as the Boilermakers are clearly a team set up to go as far as their veterans can take them.
But the immediate impact the fresh blood has made has been to change their team's look overnight.
The freshmen, notably combo forward Aaron Wheeler, versatile guard Nojel Eastern and 7-foot-3 redshirt freshman Matt Haarms, have brought new dynamics to the Boilermaker roster with their athleticism, length, speed and height relative to their positions.
Junior college transfer Eden Ewing arrived this week, but as of Tuesday had not yet been cleared administratively to officially participate, almost certainly a formality. Once he is green-lighted, the forward might quickly prove to be the team's most dynamic athlete, if that's not Wheeler.
Even guard Sasha Stefanovic, a player who'll be categorized primarily as a shooter like Dakota Mathias and Ryan Cline before him, has brought more size, length and athleticism than those who've come before him in that niche.
"Jon Octeus came in the locker room (Monday) and said, 'How did these freshmen get so bleeping big?'" Cline said. "I was like, 'Yeah, they're pretty big compared to us.'
"Their dynamic really fills us out, especially athletically."
Nobody on Purdue's roster — mountainous Isaac Haas aside — passes the eyeball test quite like Wheeler and Eastern.
Listed at 6-8, 200 pounds but appearing even bigger, Wheeler has been one of the most physically impressive rookies Purdue's seen walk in the door, given his length, height and explosiveness.
"When he catches balls 12 feet in the air," senior Dakota Mathias said, "it's pretty impressive."
That athleticism, coupled with Wheeler's dimensions, have been one of the biggest eye-openers of summer practices for Purdue thus far as it prepares for August's World University Games.
"He's a freak," Cline said. "I feel like he has springs on the bottom of his shoes. He gets up in the air so quick and so high, you don't really expect it."
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Eastern has brought similar dimensions to a position you don't often see such things.
Though the 6-6, 210-pounder will likely play varying roles for Purdue, he's going to log important minutes at point guard behind senior P.J. Thompson.
During Tuesday's practice, as Purdue implemented press offense, Eastern's size and quick hands proved problematic on at least two occasions for Thompson, leading to back-to-back steals for the freshman, the second producing a one-handed breakaway dunk.
That defensive potential will also be put to use off the ball, as well, as Eastern provides the sort of physical presence defensively it could have used more of last season, even as Mathias emerged as one of the premier wing defenders in the Big Ten.
Haarms remains a work in progress physically, though assistant coach Brandon Brantley says the big man isn't far off some others who've played in the Big Ten lately.
But as is, he's a player who runs very well for his uncommon dimensions, moves well laterally and can't help but affect things with his height and endless wingspan.
"We led the Big Ten in scoring last season," Thompson said, "but I think we can be even faster, just because Isaac can't play 40 minutes, so we can't pound it inside for 40 minutes."
Purdue will rely heavily this season on its seniors in Vincent Edwards, Mathias, Haas and Thompson, with sophomore guard Carsen Edwards also clearly due to move into an even more prominent role.
That could afford Matt Painter and his staff the luxury to bring the newcomers along slowly if so desired.
But an early takeaway — and not a surprising one — from this summer thus far has been that the new faces have done just as was expected and completed Purdue from a physical perspective, balanced out some areas where the Boilermakers might not have otherwise been stacked and provided a potentially valuable complement to existing personnel.
"Athleticism is their strong suit," Mathias said. "… The more athleticism, the better, especially in this league."
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