Throughout the offseason, Purdue Boilermakers on SI will highlight members of the 2025-26 Purdue men’s basketball roster as part of a “Welcome Back/Welcome Aboard” series. This series will focus on recaps from the 2024-25 campaign and look ahead to the upcoming season.

First on the list is one of the best three-point shooters in Purdue’s history, senior guard Fletcher Loyer.

Fletcher Loyer’s 2024-25 season

Loyer seemed to emphasize his strength during the offseason, making him a bigger threat to finish through contact at the rim while still possessing the ability to knock down three-point shots at a high clip. The result was the best statistical season of his three-year career at Purdue.

With the departures of Lance Jones, Zach Edey, Mason Gillis, and Ethan Morton from the 2023-24 squad, Loyer was pushed into a leadership role for the Boilermakers as a third-year starter. Although Purdue dealt with some communication issues early in the season, he ultimately embraced that role, helping freshmen guards CJ Cox and Gicarri Harris along the way.

Loyer scored 10 points or more in 29 of Purdue’s 36 games last year, including a season-high of 24 points in the Boilers’ road win over Minnesota in January. The junior guard also provided a major spark early in the Sweet 16 showdown against Houston, scoring 16 points.

Although he improved different elements of his game, Loyer was still most lethal behind the three-point line. He knocked down 75 triples for Purdue, connecting at a 44.4% clip. At times, he was aggressive off the bounce, using his increased strength to finish at the basket.

The junior guard ended his junior season averaging a career-best 13.8 points per game and received All-Big Ten Honorable Mention for a second consecutive year.

A 1,000-point scorer and Top 15 3-point shooter

On a cold January night in Piscataway, Loyer secured his place in Purdue basketball history, joining the 1,000-point club. He scored 13 points in a 68-50 road victory over Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena to reach the impressive milestone.

Loyer is a lethal threat from behind the three-point line because of his high efficiency. Connecting at a 44.4% rate for the year, Loyer ranked 11th nationally and led the Big Ten in three-point percentage. He knocked down multiple triples in 22 of Purdue’s 36 games a year ago.

A pet peeve of mine is hearing the argument “Loyer needs to shoot more.” Yes, in a perfect basketball world, he would probably hoist up at least 10 shots per game. On those nights when his shot total is low, there’s a reason.