Matt Painter Describes Fletcher Loyer's 'Strong Basketball Character'

Fletcher Loyer has been a vocal leader for Purdue the last two years. Matt Painter talked about the senior's commitment to setting an example in West Lafayette.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) looks to get past Washington Huskies guard Quimari Peterson (0) | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — It's not a secret that Fletcher Loyer has been a vocal leader at Purdue for the past two years. Over the weekend, however, fans received a reminder of that, as the team shared a video on social media of the senior guard showcasing his basketball IQ during a team huddle in Saturday's game against Wisconsin.

On Wednesday night, following No. 5 Purdue's 81-73 win over Washington, coach Matt Painter was asked about the moment inside the huddle in the Boilermakers' 89-73 victory over the Badgers. He had plenty of praise for Loyer, who has earned the right to speak in those moments.

"Empower the people who are committed, empower the people who are intelligent. I always say you can't empower fools," Painter said. "Fletch knows. He puts in time, he watches extra film, he does little things, he was raised by a basketball coach. He knows."

For those who may have missed it, this is the clip that was mentioned during Wednesday night's postgame press conference. After Painter is done speaking, Loyer chimes in about how Purdue can be effective against Wisconsin defensively.

Words ➡️ Action pic.twitter.com/hGykDeNdcn

— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) January 4, 2026

Painter admitted that not everyone has the same leash as Loyer when it comes to making comments or recommendations in the huddle. However, he does encourage players to have conversations at other times during game preparation.

"We want the back-and-forth in a film session, we want the back-and-forth through a walk-through, we want the back-and-forth when we run their stuff and it's live," Painter said. "I think a lot of times in coaching, you look at that, and like, 'Just do what I say.' That's not the way to go about it. But you can only do it with people who have strong basketball character like he does."

Loyer embraces leadership role

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) warms up | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Leadership isn't a skill everyone possesses. Loyer came into the program with that kind of skill, though with Zach Edey, Mason Gillis, and Ethan Morton in the program at the time, it wasn't something Purdue needed until his junior season.

Over the last two seasons, Loyer has embraced the chance to be one of the team's leaders, especially vocally on the court.

"I've always been that voice, I picked up on that early on," Loyer said. "I thought I talked really well as a freshman and sophomore, but we had guys like Ethan and Mason who really carried that load. So, carrying that on, showing the young guys how it needs to be done."

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