Boilers Finish Their Canadian Tour with a 97-62 Victory over Fraser Valley; Freshman Jacob Webber shines

The Boilers wrapped up their four game Canada tour with a 97-62 victory over Fraser Valley. Purdue went 4-0 in their trip and outside of a disappointing second game, none of these were ever in question. The Boilers are looking toward the first season in four years where Purdue will not return an All American and the trip was a way for Head Coach Matt Painter to tinker with lineups and find combinations that compliment one another as the rotation will very much be fluid.

Purdue knows what it is largely going to get from CJ Cox, albeit an expanded role might see him becoming more of a primary scoring option this season. While other returners like Daniel Jacobsen, Gicarri Harris, Jack Benter, and Omar Mayer have a bit more to prove for the Boilers this season. For those players, Harris and Jacobsen really showed they separated themselves over the last two games in what will likely lead to roles in the starting five. Alongside CJ Cox, three spots seem to be somewhat more clear than they did following the first game while Caden Pierce seemed to have locked in the other spot.

That leaves a guard spot that may have as many as four guys battling in what may go into the season. Yes, Mayer seemed to have a leg up on the competition before this trip but very quickly Antoine West and Luke Ertel established themselves as players that Purdue may not be able to afford to not have on the floor as much as possible. For West, the freshman guard flashed immediately as a scoring option as he led Purdue in scoring for two games and finished up with 6 points and 4 assists on just 3-5 shooting. What may have been an even bigger surprise was his ability to defend on ball and create turnovers as he generated 5 steals as well.

Ertel, on the other hand, played a very different role for the Boilers and brings things to the court that no other guard can this upcoming season. The freshman point guard didn’t hunt his shot all too often but flashed an ability to hit deep shots off screens, get into transition off defensive rebounds, and get into the lane and pass to open teammates. The last game was likely his best of the tour as he scored 12 points (5-11), handed out 7 assists, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had 2 steals.

Watch this Luke Ertel sequence. Looks like Braden Smith on that hook pass and then finds Sinan Huan for a three in the same corner. If you didn’t know by now, Luke Ertel is a special player. 2️⃣🚂 pic.twitter.com/Bca1A08Flg

— Boiler Burner (@BoilerBurner1) July 29, 2026

Purdue placed a premium on getting Caden Pierce to West Lafayette and these four games saw Pierce get a bit more comfortable with his role and playing legitimate full court games for the first time in over a year and half following his transfer from Princeton. Pierce is likely Purdue’s best rebounder (although a case might be made for Ertel considering his position) and he finally was able to show his ability to hit outside shots. Pierce’s best game was, like for most, in this final game where he had 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

It wasn’t all coming up roses for Purdue’s players though. There were several Purdue players that seemed to really struggle during this trip but notably Mayer and Burgess just seemed to look uncomfortable, Mayer especially. Mayer may be better suited off the ball for Purdue as the sophomore guard just looked clunky running the point and Purdue’s offense just never looked comfortable. He continues to look like Purdue’s best option for late shot clock options as he is a shot maker, but he may be suited to play alongside another ball handler like Ertel, Cox, or West.

There may not be another player on Purdue’s roster that looks like they should be a high level player than Burgess. The nearly 7’ sophomore big man moves well for his size, plays with an incredible motor, and just looks the part of a dominant big man. His development just isn’t quite there yet for Purdue to rely on him to play a major role as he struggled to hit shots in the lower post, missed on every three pointer he attempted (as did Daniel Jacobsen), and never appeared to dominate inferiorly sized opponents in the post. Jacobsen had some struggles but seemingly found his footing and ever showed a bit of emotion by pushing a player that was hanging all over him.

Although many Boilers made cases for themselves for bigger roles, none may have made a bigger statement for themselves than Jacob Webber. Largely considered one of the best shooters in the 2026 class, Webber continued to get better and better through the tour with it finally culminating in a breakout performance. Shooting a blistering 6-7 from behind the arc, Webber led Purdue in scoring with 21 points and one steal (a Ryan Cline-esq performance if I’ve ever seen one). The lengthy tweener guard/forward again provides something different for the Boilers this season similarly to that of Ertel. That uniqueness is going to likely find him minutes if he can adjust to the physical nature of the game in B1G conference play.

Caden Pierce looking like a point-forward here as he grabs the rebound and takes it coast-to-coast before finding Webber open in the corner for three. Jacob Webber has 12 points on 3 makes. 1️⃣1️⃣🚂 pic.twitter.com/AQnHg6fDZv

— Boiler Burner (@BoilerBurner1) July 29, 2026

The Boilers will now likely break for the remainder of summer before heading back into workouts head of the start of fall practices. Purdue is likely to add French big man Enzo Shahrvin to the mix as either a smaller center or big bodied power forward at 6’8 and 230lbs and that added experience and competition will help solidify the frontcourt and pair with a young but exciting group of guards and wings for the Boilers.

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