Why Matt Painter joins the Purdue basketball frontcourt with a forward from France
WEST LAFAYETTE – Enzo Shahrvin wore No. 18 for his first Purdue men’s basketball practice on Tuesday, but the other important numbers are next to his name on the roster.
The French native, who joined the Boilermakers over the weekend, stands a solid 6-foot-7, 235 pounds. He was like a guy who just joined a team that had been playing together for weeks. A short wait, trying to get up to speed up mentally and physically, but filling out his practice jersey as advertised.
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The NCAA has yet to waive Shahrvin’s eligibility, and Purdue doesn’t expect that to happen before leaving Friday on an exhibition trip to Canada. However, what he brings to practice still fills a void.
“He’s just a body — that’s why we took him,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “We took him to bring physicality to the front court — protecting the basketball, running the court, adding that energy.”
Even if cleared, Shahrvin will only be a one-year addition. The NCAA’s new age-based eligibility model starts the five-year clock with the start of the academic year following an athlete’s 19th birthday.
However, Purdue also wanted Shahrvin for exactly what he needs this season — a physical presence inside. That affects a lot in practice how many minutes of the game he will play. The departures of Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff left a void inside. Third years Daniel Jacobsen and Raleigh Burgess and freshman Sinan Huan now carry that burden.
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Assistant coach Sasha Stefanovich, who helped bring Shahrvin over from France, would occasionally pull him aside for instructions and tips. So does Brandon Brantley, who coaches the Bulls. Shahrvin is doing the opposite of what his new colleagues in Canada will be doing – adjusting the size and rules of the NCAA compared to FIBA - in addition to learning the new system from scratch.
He won’t help Purdue much as a shooter, but he has shown a few flashes of his strength and athleticism in practice. His value there could equal or exceed his game contributions next season.
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This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Why Matt Painter is joining the Purdue basketball frontcourt with a French forward.
