Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter likes what he sees with guard Luke Ertel, the 2026 Indiana Mr. Basketball from Mt. Vernon High School.
But does Painter like him more as a Braden Smith-style guard or a Carsen Edwards/Jaden Ivey-style guard? Smith is the NCAA career assists leader, Edwards was a 3-point shooter and Ivey mixed outside shooting with attacking the basket for thrilling dunks.
Advertisement
“Luke’s ability to compete is his No. 1 strength,” Painter told Jon Rothstein on a recent “Inside College Basketball” podcast. “He’s not scared of the moment. He’s gonna compete. He’s gonna keep coming at you. But just learning the nuances of the game and fitting in to how we do things (will be critical). He’s a good player. He’s not scared. He lays it on the line of both ends.”
The coach said the 6-2 freshman needed to be a lead guard for the Marauders, but “he’s gotta learn leading a team” for the Boilermakers.
“Ertel is more of a lead guard than a true point, so we don’t want to lose his aggressiveness,” Painter said of the balance he wants Ertel to achieve. “I always tell him, ‘Listen to (associate coach P.J. Thompson), try to make the reads, do what you’re supposed to. … You’ve got to stay on the hunt.'”
Ertel has a lot of competition in the backcourt: C.J. Cox, Gicarri Harris and Omer Mayer return, and Antoine West Jr. redshirted last season.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar’s Boilermakers newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Purdue’s Painter sees Ertel as more Edwards/Ivey-type guard than Braden Smith
