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Purdue freshmen "know what we're supposed to do," ready for next step

b8vTr9Hoby:Mike Carmin•04/01/25
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Purdue's CJ Cox (Chad Krockover)

As Friday night morphed into Saturday morning inside Lucas Oil Stadium following the two-point loss to Houston, the conversation started to shift.

While most of the focus centered around what just happened, a gut-punch of a setback to the top-seeded Cougars in the final seconds, looking ahead became the theme.

Two players, in particular, who assumed key roles during the run to the Sweet 16, were ready to take a glimpse into the future and begin formulating a plan for next season.

“I’m just looking forward to next season,” freshman Gicarri Harris said. “I wish we were still playing, but I’m just looking forward to next season. Just going to be working until exhaustion throughout the whole off-season, so I get ready for moments like these.”

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Throughout their first seasons, Harris and CJ Cox were ready for their moments.  They usually delivered in their roles, whether a defensive assignment or a spark on the offensive end, when the attention was focused on Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer.

Year 2 can’t get here fast enough.

“I feel like we have a great core group of guys, and we’ve got Year 1 out of the way,” Cox said. “Going into this summer, just being able to have more chemistry with each other.”

Harris started the season opener and the next four games, while Cox joined the first five when the Big Ten season resumed in early January. He was a steady offensive threat the rest of the season, giving the offense another option outside the “Big 3.”

Cox responded with a 23-point outburst against Nebraska shortly after moving into the lineup, reaching double figures 10 times.

Harris was part of a bench that came on strong during the NCAA tournament, totaling 54 points and 43 rebounds against High Point, McNeese State, and Houston.

“Now we know what we’re supposed to do, so everybody’s gonna watch out for us next year,” Cox said.

Granted, the pair weren’t the main ballhandlers, but they kept turnovers to a minimum. Harris committed 15 in 36 games but never more than one in a single outing. Cox had three games of multiple turnovers but limited the mistakes during his 36 games of action.

There were plenty of takeaways from the season, but the development and progress of Cox and Harris shouldn’t be overlooked as the Boilermakers prepare for a deep run next year.

“I’m proud of everybody,” Harris said. “I’m proud of myself, grateful for how far we got this season. Grateful for my whole entire freshman year. Man, I’m proud of myself and what I’ve been able to do as a freshman.”

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