Caleb Furst Becoming 'More Aggressive, Assertive' on Defensive End for Purdue

Thievery had never really been Caleb Furst's thing on a basketball court in his first three years at Purdue. Yet, this season, the senior forward has turned into West Lafayette's version of Robin Hood.

Furst has recorded 17 total steals in Purdue's last nine games, robbing the opponent at least once in each of those games. The senior was particularly effective in the last two games, coming up with three steals in Friday's win over Indiana and three more in Tuesday's victory against Iowa.

Until he was inserted into the starting rotation in January, stealing the basketball had never been a real aspect of Furst's game. He had just 27 total in his first three seasons and had recorded two through Purdue's first 14 games of the 2024-25 campaign.

What has changed for Furst over these last nine games?

"That's something that I think I bring a lot of value to the team, just being active on the defensive end," Furst said. "I think my length can bother a lot of guys. I have tried to be more assertive, be more aggressive defensively and look for those opportunities, look for those steals when they're there."

Those steals have "been there" quite a bit over the last six games. Four times in that stretch, Furst has grabbed multiple steals. He had four in an important road win over Washington on Jan. 15 and two more in a blowout victory over then-No. 21 Michigan. The senior has racked up six steals in the last two games.

Furst's ability to guard multiple positions on the defensive end has been a major asset for the Boilermakers during this 10-game stretch.

"He really helps us because he can switch ball screens for us, but he also can guard people of size," coach Matt Painter said after Furst's four-steal outing vs. Washington. "That luxury there really helps us."

As a team, Purdue has been more aggressive on the defensive end of the floor, creating a lot of turnovers since Big Ten play resumed in January. The Boilermakers are forcing an average of 15.8 turnovers per game, leading to 20.9 points off turnovers.

No wonder the Boilers are 9-1 in their last 10 Big Ten games — even on some of those cold shooting evenings.

Furst certainly isn't the only one making an impact on that end of the floor. Braden Smith averaged more than three steals per game in the month of January. CJ Cox has made some tremendous plays on the defensive end, as well.

But having a 6-foot-10 forward with active hands on the floor has really provided the Boilermakers with a major boost over the last month.

"Just his hard-working presence," junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn said. "He's a major part of why we won (the Iowa) game, but also all the games we've played."

We're all familiar with Furst's role as "Buddy the Elf" around Christmas time. But on the court, he's putting together a really good audition tape for the next Robin Hood film.

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