Column: One Trait Helped Purdue Basketball Assemble Championship-Caliber Roster

Sometimes, we can get carried away when using the words "culture" and "family" to describe a college athletics program. In West Lafayette, those are important characteristics of a program built by Gene Keady and advanced by Matt Painter. You don't have to search far to find out those words still mean something at Purdue.

The family aspect of the basketball program remains a foundational piece of Purdue's success on the basketball court. This isn't just coming from an outsider who covers the program; it's been addressed by the team's four newest members.

"Family," that overused and clichéd term, was mentioned by all four newcomers to Purdue's basketball program. It didn't just sound like an easy talking point, either. When Antione West Jr., Oscar Cluff, Omer Mayer, and Liam Murphy used the word, you could tell they meant it.

"It feels like a family. I feel like at most places it feels more like a business — everyone gets caught up in the business aspect," West said. "But I feel like everybody here — not just the coaching staff, but the players and the people —it feels more family-oriented."

In an era where NIL opportunities and playing time are often considered to be the most important items when committing to a program, Purdue's culture continues to win.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) celebrates | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Let's be frank, Painter's program is not exempt from the NIL world. Purdue must be competitive in that area to retain its top players and attract talented pieces. That's part of the game now.

But the players Painter and the staff have brought to West Lafayette clearly value the family-oriented culture of the program.

"The culture, the family — as you guys saw over the weekend, it was insane how many people came back," Cluff said following Purdue's Alumni Game in early August. "It's a family-built place. I think once you see that, why would you want to go anywhere else?"

Painter has assembled a roster full of unselfish players who value winning above all else. That was confirmed in the offseason, when Purdue's top three players from last season — Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer, and Braden Smith — all returned. The entire 2024 recruiting class — Gicarri Harris, Raleigh Burgess, Jack Benter, CJ Cox, and Daniel Jacobsen — stuck around too.

In the summer, Painter said all of those players could have left the program to make more money. All of those who chose to stay, though, understood that the 2025-26 squad would have a chance to do something special. They also knew that they'd need a little hope.

So, in an effort to help Purdue build one of the best rosters in college basketball, Smith took it upon himself to help in the recruiting process. He picked up the phone and sent a text to Mayer, one of the top 50 players in the 2025 class.

That's when Mayer began understanding how unique the culture is in West Lafayette.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) and head coach Matt Painter | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

"For me, I was starting to realize how much Purdue is a family," Mayer said. "They make you feel comfortable. Like, no ego, everybody is actually a family."

When Painter talks about the culture of his program, he often mentions Keady as the one who built it. "This is his program, let's try not to mess it up," he said in an interview after Purdue's run to the Final Four in 2024.

Indeed, the program remains intact. Even in a new era of college basketball — one where money and playing time seem to attract the best players — Purdue has the sturdiest foundation in the sport. It all comes back to that one word, "family."

"The coaching staff preached the family aspect, and I think for my last year of college athletics, that was super important to me," Murphy said. "To be at a spot where I felt like I could contribute to something special. But the values of hard work, family, and togetherness are present here."

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