ST. LOUIS — Omer Mayer says there’s a Hebrew word for his Purdue men’s basketball teammate Fletcher Loyer, one you would pronounce “meek-TSOH-ah” in English.
It’s the word Mayer used to call him “professional.” It traces back to the first impression Loyer made on the freshman from Israel when they were getting up shots during Mayer’s official visit last summer. Mayer watched him confirm that title earlier this winter, when shots were not falling and Loyer practically moved into Mackey Arena.
“What I’m trying to say is, if you live day by day with him, you understand why,” Mayer said.
Purdue assistant P.J. Thompson used a more American word: “Superhero.” It’s the result of Loyer’s combination of overconfidence and work ethic while also morphing into an extra coach when necessary.
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Ask around the locker room, and every Boilermaker admires something different about the four-year starting guard. For freshman Antione West, it’s the way Loyer takes care of his body and commitment to routine. For Oscar Cluff, it’s his voice on and off the court on a team, at times, lacking one in both areas. For Jack Benter, it’s the sheer number of shots Loyer put up in Mackey Arena while working through a cold shooting stretch this season.
On Thursday, with interviews taking place around him in an Enterprise Center locker room, Loyer was on all fours doing core-strengthening stretches.
“It takes a lot of little details to win in March,” Loyer said Saturday ahead of Sunday’s Round of 32 game against Miami. “All the stuff you learned all summer, fall, winter now comes into play. So just making sure everybody is ready to go and ready to do their job.”
It takes a lot of big baskets to win, too, and Loyer’s making them at a rate impressive even by his standards.
Fletcher Loyer in the best shooting stretch of his Purdue career
While Braden Smith chased down the all-time assists record, while Trey Kaufman-Renn returned to last season’s scoring form and Oscar Cluff played at an All-Big Ten level, Loyer operated somewhat in the shadows recently.
Thrived, actually, would be a better word than operated. Even for a player who bult a career on uber-efficient offense, Loyer has locked into another level.
After hitting 4 of 8 from 3-point range against Queens, Loyer has made three or more 3s in four straight games for the first time in his career. Considering how reliable and prolific a shooter Loyer has been since Game 1 of his freshman season, that’s almost hard to believe.
Those four games, though, simply extended Loyer’s now seven-week trajectory. Since Feb. 1, he’s shooting 48.21% from 3-point range. Only UNLV junior and former McCutcheon star Dre Gibbbs-Lawhorn (48.6%) and Texas Tech’s Donovan Atwell (48.24%) have been better among players with at least 100 attempts.
Loyer’s numbers in that span are even more impressive when you remember it included arguably the most frustrating shooting night of his career. He made only 4 of 17 in an overtime win at Nebraska on Feb. 10. Since that night, he’s made 56.3% of his attempts from behind the arc.
Loyer scored 14 or more points in each of the last six games — also the longest such stretch of his career. His offensive rating for the season per Ken Pomeroy’s analytics is 130. It’s the best mark of his career, as are his effective field goal percentage, free throw percentage, rebounding percentage and turnover rate.
It’s no coincidence he’s done that damage somewhat under the radar. Opponents concerned with Smith’s creation AND Kaufman-Renn’s short roll arsenal AND Cluff scoring on the block cannot account for everyone.
Loyer keeps accepting those open looks and adding to his team-record for made 3-pointers. The next one will be his 300th. With two more, he’ll join Carsen Edwards (135), Ryan Cline (111) and Troy Lewis (100) as the only Boilers to make 100 in a season.
All of the above would be relevant to Purdue’s chances of a deep March run without the introduction of this next fact.
No team remaining in the NCAA Tournament field allows opponents to shoot a better percentage from 3 than Miami.
Miami scouting report wary of Loyer’s shooting prowess
Everyone on Miami’s roster probably already knew about all-time assists king Smith, about preseason All-American big man Trey Kaufman-Renn, perhaps even about Oscar Cluff, thanks to his performance boost.
Malik Reneau and Tre Donaldson know Loyer, too. They came to the Hurricanes from Indiana and Michigan, respectively. Loyer hit 47.8% of his 3s over Reneau’s three seasons with the Hoosiers. In Donaldson’s first visit to Mackey Arena last season, Loyer hit 5 of 10 against the Wolverines.
Miami’s game plan to limit Purdue’s offense starts with containing Smith, but it doesn’t end there. Reneau said he’d given his teammates a heads up on the Boilermakers’ actions and concepts.
“They’ve got a lot of plays in their playbook,” Reneau said. “So we have to be prepared for everything.”
Some of those plays are run for Loyer; P.J. Thompson dialing up pin downs and other looks off ball screens.
Some of those plays come from Loyer, who might buzz into Thompson’s phone on any evening while watching a random NBA or college game.
“Some college kids are playing video games or hanging out with their girlfriend,” Thompson said. “Fletch is watching that game and he’s gonna text a play that happened or a sequence that happened. He’s like, ‘Man, what are they doing,’ or, ‘Are you watching this?’
“He’s wired. He’s going to be a really good coach one day after his hopefully long playing career.”
Miami coach Jai Lucas called ball screen coverage “the biggest part of the game,” and specifically mentioned the actions for Loyer. He’s also alert to Kaufman-Renn’s ability to settle into the pocket and facilitate. Three of Loyer’s four 3s against Queens came off assists from big men.
“My thing is not letting them get comfortable,” Lucas said. “They’re the No. 1 offense in the country analytically. So I’ve gotta find a way to disrupt their rhythm somehow.”
No one has disrupted Loyer’s rhythm in weeks. That’s as true when talking about his example-driven accountability as it is about the best shooting stretch of his career.
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