What Purdue Sophomore Myles Colvin Said Following the First Summer Practice

Purdue sophomore wing Myles Colvin has been working on a lot of things during the offseason. He's ready to make a big impact for the Boilermakers during the 2024-25 season, hoping to be a better defender, rebounder and scorer this year.

Dustin Schutte | Jun 12, 2024

Purdue Boilermakers guard Myles Colvin celebrates a basket / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

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Myles Colvin sounds ready to make the most of his opportunity. The sophomore wing met with reporters on Tuesday, following Purdue's first summer practice. Colvin has been working on a lot of different aspects of his game in the two months since the Boilermakers' appearance in the National Championship Game.

Colvin appeared in 31 games for Purdue last season, averaging 3.3 points and 0.9 rebounds per game. With players like Zach Edey, Lance Jones, Mason Gillis and Ethan Morton gone, there's a good chance the sophomore will get the chance to make a big impact for the Boilers this coming season.

Here's what Colvin had to say at the team's first practice on Tuesday.

On comparing this year's first practice to Colvin's first ever practice ...

Colvin: "Definitely lighter, for sure. I think on Day 1 last year, my head was spinning a little bit. Coming from Europe — we were obviously trying to get ready for the Europe trip and we were putting offense in. Compared to now, we're just making sure the newcomers are up to speed with what we have from last year, just the basics. It's definitely good to recap on the little things that we focused on last year just to tightened up the screws."

On how the incoming class picked up things on Day 1 ...

Colvin: "I think they picked it up pretty well. I think all the guys are pretty good hoopers out there — obviously, because they're here. It's just a matter of them getting the concepts and the offense in and getting used to that. So, I think as long as they do that, they'll be fine."

On anything Colvin said to the new freshmen ...

Colvin: "One thing I said when we had open runs — we're not gonna let you struggle. They didn't let me struggle last year, they helped me along the way. Because they knew as long as I was doing better, the whole team would do good. So, I think that's one thing I wanted to harp on, just making sure they didn't feel alone, we're here for them and we're gonna make them as good as everybody else so we can be as good as we can."

On how Colvin has grown mentality from last season ...

Colvin: "I think mentally I see the game differently. It's definitely slowed down. Just being patient and obviously growing on the court and off the court. I'm getting stronger, so I think that goes into a lot of not just mental aspect, but physical. Being able to play the game and get to my spots and do what I want to do on the court."

On Colvin's goals for the upcoming season ...

Colvin: "Just being a playmaker for myself and others. And, obviously, defensively especially. That was the main thing I learned last year — defense fuels the team and not just myself. I think as long as I play good defense I'll be set and be able to do good on the offensive end."

On Colvin's reflections from his freshman season ...

Colvin: "Ball handling was something that I really focused on this offseason. Just to relieve pressure from the point guards, Braden (Smith) and all them, so I think that's huge for me. Like I said, I want to be a playmaker for myself and others and get the opportunity to do that when I have the ball in my hands and creating for others and myself. I think that's huge. And just working on my ability to score off the dribble. I think that's something I didn't do last year, just because of having Zach (Edey). ... I think just not being one-dimensional and just showing how I can score at all three levels."

On what Colvin has been doing over the last two months ...

Colvin: "I've been — obviously I didn't declare for the draft but I've been with my agency that I signed my NIL with down in Miami for pre-draft. So, all the guys that've been down there are going through the draft, so I've been getting in good, quality work with them."

On how the offense changes without Edey ...

Colvin: "It's hard to say, it's the first day of practice. But, I could see us running more. I think we're more athletic than we were last year. We got a lot of guys that can get down and play defense. We'll be able to run and get steals and make good plays on the defensive end just so we can turn those points over and get easy points."

On Colvin's thoughts on Daniel Jacobsen's defense from AmeriCup ...

Colvin: "I think he looks pretty good. Obviously, you can't really can't tell how someone's gonna transition from (high school to college), which, I think he'll get used to it. He'll get stronger and he'll adapt to the game and I think he'll be fine. I have seen the clips and I'm really impressed with how he played."

On how Purdue makes up for Edey's absence on the rebounding front ...

Colvin: "I definitely do think the perimeter guys can be more active on the boards, especially myself. I think that's something I can work on other than scoring and having the ball in my hands. That's always something you can work on — like playing defense, scoring, rebounding, passing. I think that's something we can improve on and help the team win."

On what Purdue might change defensively ...

Colvin: "I'm not sure. Obviously this is the first day of practice. But, like I said, I think we have a lot of guys that can get down and guard that are scrappy. Like Lance (Jones) type of guys. I see that in CJ (Cox) and Gicarri (Harris). That excites me because it helps us on the offensive end."