Freshman Myles Colvin's acclimation to Purdue continues as preseason practice commences

One of Purdue’s most important hot buttons during preseason practice through the end of September and into October: On-boarding Myles Colvin, as talented a freshman as has come through the program under Matt Painter.

On one hand, Colvin is way ahead of a typical freshman trajectory, having practiced most of the summer with Purdue, more so than normal because of the Europe trip, then playing three games with (most of) his new team overseas. That says nothing of his USA Basketball experiences, first playing internationally in 3×3, then as part of Team USA’s 19-and-under World Cup team.

On the other hand, though, youth is youth and Colvin’s one of the youngest players in his class nationally, having just turned 18 last month, with a basketball background that hasn’t often put him alongside the caliber of player Purdue will, or against the caliber of competition USA Basketball did or certainly his freshman season will.

There will be a learning curve, an adjustment period, for Colvin, as there would be for any freshman, but perhaps even more pronounced for him considering A) Purdue figures to be a great team and B) from an ability perspective, he’s a one-of-one sort of player on this team whose ability aligns with various needs.

Colvin admits to being overwhelmed the first few weeks after he enrolled this summer as he was inundated with information, nuance and structure.

“They told me they expected my head to spin and that I should stay with it and not get frustrated,” Colvin said. “I think that’s what I did and it really pushed me to be better.”

Now, it comes time for him to continue settling in, with Purdue’s full roster around him (once Zach Edey returns from a concussion) and the season just a matter of a month or so away.

As is normally true for young players, defense is where trust must be earned first. Colvin is no different than most in that regard but the stakes for him might be higher given the opportunity ahead for both him and team. He will continue to be a marked man on the practice floor when it comes to coaching, particularly at the defensive end.

“It’s not too hard when you ask questions,” Colvin said, “and you really pay attention and lock into it. .. Once you lock in and use your coaches and your teammates as your guides, it really helps you.

“I try my best not to double-down on mistakes and not make them over and over again.”

At the offensive end, Colvin — an elite athlete, a career-long shot-creator and, by the looks of it, a potentially high-level shot-maker — has just tried to fit in.

He’s not often in his basketball career been a complementary player as opposed to a centerpiece. Now, he plays alongside reigning player-of-the-year Zach Edey. Colvin has to learn to fit.

“It’s just getting to know how everybody else plays,” Colvin said. “Playing off Zach, playing off (Trey Kaufman-Renn), moving without the ball, playing with pace, little things like that. When I started to fix those, I saw a big difference in my game.

“I think I’ve always known how to play off other people and not just be a ball-dominant player, but I think (USA Basketball) opened my eyes to the fact I’m not always going to be the guy on my team, that I might be with somebody where I’m playing off other people. That’s the situation for a lot of people when they get to the next level and play in the NBA. You’re not going to be Jayson Tatum or LeBron James right away; you’re going to be playing off other people. You have to make open shots and do simple stuff.”

The name of the game: Opportunism. Running the floor and making the open shots bound to come his way given Edey’s considerable blast radius.

“We really need his ability to make open threes but also get him to be a sprinter, to showcase that athleticism in transition,” Coach Matt Painter said.

So far, so good.

In three games in Europe in August — he missed the fourth due to a passport snafu — Colvin made eight of the 12 three-pointers he attempted and averaged better than 13 points per game.

Colvin, though, has made an impression even when he’s missed shots, as Painter’s more than once noted how his freshman’s expressionless nature whether a shot falls or fails reflects the sort of natural confidence the Boilermakers needed more of late last season.

Add it all up — the athleticism, the shooting, the confidence, all of them needs for Purdue in 2023-2024 — and you can see the opportunity is there for Colvin to be that right newcomer at the right time for a team with sky-high ambitions.