Fletcher Loyer Praises Caleb Furst's Mental Toughness Through Journey at Purdue

Fletcher Loyer gave a lot of credit to Caleb Furst for his success in his senior season, saying he's been a huge reason why Purdue is a "great team" right now.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) and forward Caleb Furst (1) celebrate | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Around this last time last year, Caleb Furst's minutes were limited. A good player on a great team, it was difficult for the 6-foot-10 forward to get time on the court. But a lot has changed for senior, who has been a key piece to Purdue's success during the 2024-25 season.

Friday night, Furst had another strong out in No. 7 Purdue's 90-72 win over USC. He came up one point short of a double-double, finishing the game with 9 points and 10 points.

The senior forward was close to a double-double in the Boilers' win over Iowa earlier this week, too, ending that contest with 10 points and nine boards.

With limited minutes during his junior season, it would have been easy for Furst to enter the transfer portal and look for another opportunity. Instead, he decided to stick it out in West Lafayette. And Fletcher Loyer, his teammate and fellow Fort Wayne, Ind. native, says Furst's decision to stay has been a big piece to Purdue's success.

"Caleb has meant everything," Loyer said after Friday's win over USC. "He's gotten us from a good team to a great team. For him to stick with it — last year, we had a great basketball team. Honestly, it was tough for him to find minutes because we were so good.

"To basically sit out half a year and watch Mason (Gillis) and Trey (Kaufman-Renn) play the four, and now to start for us at the four, it's very mentally tough of him."

Furst's impact was not immediate this season. He opened the year as a bench player, with 7-foot-4 freshman Daniel Jacobsen and guard Gicarri Harris in the starting rotation. After Jacobsen suffered a season-ending injury and some lineup tweaks made by coach Matt Painter, Furst was finally back in a starting role when the calendar flipped to 2025.

It might have been a difficult stretch for Furst, but he was always receiving support and encouragement from his teammates.

"He was still coming off the bench at the beginning of the year," Loyer said. "We were all like, 'Caleb, stick with it. We know we're going to need you and help us win games.'"

With Friday's win over USC, Purdue improved to 10-1 since inserting Furst back into the starting lineup in January. The Boilers sit in first place in the Big Ten standings and are hunting their third straight Big Ten title.

Furst has been critical in that rise back to the top.

"Credit to Caleb, he's put in a lot of work and he's trusted us as much as we trust him," Loyer said. "I'm happy for him."

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