Caleb Furst already contributing to rise of Purdue basketball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (BVM) – The Purdue Boilermakers have been off to a fast start during the 2021-22 season. Ranked No. 1 in the country at one point, Matt Painter’s squad currently sits at No. 7 in the AP Top 25 poll, and is viewed as one of the Big Ten’s top contenders.
The season has picked up where last year left off, as Purdue surprisingly finished fourth in the Big Ten and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2020-21. An influx of young talent led to the special season, particularly led by then freshmen Jaden Ivey, Mason Gillis and Zach Edey.
While those three remain alongside guys like Trevion Williams, Sasha Stefanovic and Eric Hunter Jr. to form Purdue’s core, there is no shortage of talent coming into the program once again. The 2021 class specifically is strong, but it is headlined by Caleb Furst, who has unsurprisingly already shown flashes of his promising talent in his freshman season.
Although he came from a baseball background, Furst’s size allowed him the opportunity to play basketball, and he took it and ran with it. Playing alongside the likes of now-Illinois freshman Luke Goode and Grand Canyon University guard Jalen Blackmon, Furst’s game quickly developed in his youth.
He was a varsity standout from day one at Blackhawk Christian School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, despite joining a squad that had eight seniors. Furst averaged double-digit scoring numbers as a freshman, and showed flashes of brilliance, such as his 32-point performance in the Braves’ regional championship game. Around that same time, the 6-foot-10 forward began getting looks from the likes of Purdue and Indiana.
Despite going 26-3, Blackhawk Christian would fall in the semi-state round that season, but that would be the final postseason loss of Furst’s tremendous high school career. As a sophomore, Furst averaged nearly 19 points and over 10 rebounds, leading the Braves to an IHSAA Class A state championship.
State Champs pic.twitter.com/tTQuIy1EcX
— Caleb Furst (@calebfurst) March 23, 2019
Blackhawk Christian was just as dominant while moving up to the Class 2A level during Furst’s junior season, as he upped his averages to 22.1 points and 13.4 rebounds. Ranked No. 2 in the state, the Braves were poised to win another state title prior to the cancellation of the remainder of the season due to Covid.
However, Furst made up for lost time in his senior year, averaging 21.4 points, 14.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks. It was another dominant season that led Blackhawk Christian to a 28-3 record and its second state championship in three years, as Furst put up 20 points, seven rebounds and six blocks in the Braves’ 2A title win over Parke Heritage.
After his senior season, Furst earned Indiana Mr. Basketball honors as well as the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year award. He was also named a MaxPreps Honorable Mention All-American. The standout was the first to win Mr. Basketball at the 2A level since 2010, and the first player from Fort Wayne to win it since former Boilermaker Caleb Swanigan did so in 2015.
The four-star recruit was a top-30 player in the nation by the end of his high school career, and left quite the mark on the Blackhawk Christian program, leaving the school as its all-time leader in points (2,087) and rebounds (1,254). The forward also compiled 213 career blocks and 193 dunks over his four seasons. In addition, Furst played in 110 career games, winning 100 of them. That mark included an impressive 21 victories in the postseason.
As his junior season was winding down, Furst officially committed to play college basketball at Purdue, choosing the Boilermakers over the likes of Michigan State, Virginia, Ohio State and Indiana among others. Furst became the first player to commit to Purdue’s 2021 class, and was the program’s highest rated commit since Swanigan in 2015. Furst joined a three-player recruiting class of local Indiana products including Trey Kaufman-Renn and Brian Waddell.
“I just don’t want to sign guys in the state just to sign guys in the state to be able to talk the rhetoric,” Painter said after Furst and Kaufman-Renn had committed. “I want to get guys that fit at Purdue. Period… We feel like we got two great players that are already winners, already won state championships … come here and hopefully help us win a Big Ten championship and have success in the NCAA Tournament and get to the Final Four.”
Proud to be Boilermaker pic.twitter.com/JqyungkWEW
— Caleb Furst (@calebfurst) March 3, 2020
Poised to come into the program strong just as he did during his high school years, Furst received one additional opportunity that helped improve his game before taking the floor at Mackey Arena. Last summer, the freshman had the chance to play with Team USA at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia.
There he got to compete alongside the likes of Chet Holmgren – the 2021 class’ top-ranked player – his future teammate Jaden Ivey and another emerging Big Ten star in Johnny Davis. Furst averaged seven points and four rebounds across the 85 minutes he played in the tournament as the team won a gold medal.
“Caleb Furst made the U19 team and really put himself in a great position, got a chance to play the four and the five in the U19s, which he’ll play for us,” Painter said last year during Big Ten media days. “But very good. Very mobile, can really move. Has really gotten to where he makes his free throws, can knock down open threes, good athlete, can move, do a lot of different things.”
By fall, the Boilermakers were eager to see what Furst had to give, and he delivered almost immediately, scoring 12 points in just his second career game against Indiana State. He followed that up with a career-high 14-point, 11-rebound game in the team’s next contest against Wright State.
Furst thing's furst … this guy brings the 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏. 💥@calebfurst recorded his first career double-double for @BoilerBall tonight!
Oh, and the game isn't over yet. 😉 pic.twitter.com/55WdwUNxnN
— Purdue On BTN (@PurdueOnBTN) November 17, 2021
Furst also scored 20 points combined in high-profile matchups with North Carolina and Villanova, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors in mid-November.
🚨 Weekly Awards Alert 🚨
Caleb Furst of @BoilerBall is the #B1G Freshman of the Week!
🏀 Recorded 11.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game in three Purdue victories
🏀 Earns his first career Freshman of the Week honor🗞️ https://t.co/8c10c9qS65 pic.twitter.com/RFDFaiZdZh
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 22, 2021
Furst continued to excel throughout Purdue’s non-conference slate, and although his minutes have decreased a bit during Big Ten play, there is no doubt the forward is poised to still make significant contributions down the stretch this season.
Last year, Painter had to put his trust in several freshmen, including Ivey, Gillis, Edey and Bradon Newman, and it led to a terrific end-of-season run. Although the roster is deeper and more experienced in 2022, it’s quite possible the same scenario plays out, with Furst cracking the rotation even further.
Purdue currently sits at 13-2 overall on the season, but just 2-2 in Big Ten play after early-conference losses to Rutgers and Wisconsin. Some tough road games at Illinois, Indiana and Iowa are on the docket to close out January, and a competitive Big Ten as usual will bring about a tough schedule for the rest of the season.
However, the Boilermakers have arguably the most talented roster in the conference, and they hope that not only leads to success in the Big Ten, but also a deep NCAA Tournament run come March. A Big Ten team has not won a national championship since 2000, and Purdue has the kind of potential to change that in what is a wide-open year in college basketball.
For someone like Furst, winning championships would be nothing new. No matter how much he contributes down the stretch in 2022, there is no doubt his future is bright, as is that of the entire Purdue program. We’ve already seen Big Ten players such as Davis and Iowa’s Keegan Murray make tremendous strides into their sophomore seasons. Furst seems poised to do the same, and that jump may still happen before all is said and done with Purdue’s 2021-22 campaign.
