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ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 2 13 f OCTEUS HAS NCAA ASPIRATIONS M att Painter doesn't want to gush quite yet about new senior Jon Octeus. He still doesn't know him well enough and the brand-new transfer is still in fast-track acclimation mode with Purdue after joining the team on the fly a week into preseason practice and a month into the fall semester. But the Boilermak- er coach does admit that the stunning addition has changed the complexion of his team's wide-open fray at point guard and could be a crucial piece during Octeus' one and only season in the program. Octeus hopes so, his goal being to return Purdue, and himself, to the NCAA Tournament. He was part of Colora- do State's 2013 Tournament team, which upset Missouri, then fell to eventual champ Louisville. Octeus graduated from Colorado State, then committed to UCLA as a fifth-year transfer. But the Bruins' projected starting point guard for the coming season was blindsid- ed when he was denied admission to its education grad program two months after he'd committed, making him a free agent again and paving his path to West Lafayette. "To help this team. I want to win," Octeus said of his goals for this year. "This is my last season, so I want to go to the NCAA Tournament. It was a great experience and there's nothing else like it. To be able to do that again, especially with this being my last year, it's very important to me." He has work to do, getting caught up with his new teammates. "It's been a really easy transition because the guys have been so welcoming," Octeus said. "That's allowed me to kind of let the guard down, play as hard as I can and bring what I can to this team." What that is exactly remains to be seen, but his ré- sumé and reputation seem to be right up Purdue's alley. Though he has no experience at Purdue, he is already the Boilermakers' most ex- perienced player, having appeared in 67 games the past two seasons at Colorado State after a year in junior college. He's the Boilermak- ers' second-oldest player, having just turned 23 a few months after Neal Beshears did. That experience is wel- comed in a backcourt full of freshmen and sophomores among its primary contribu- tors. His experience is a welcomed addition to Purdue's mix, as is his skill set and physical profile. The 6-foot-4 guard looks to be the Boilermakers' most athletic guard, with a combination of length and defen- sive versatility Purdue didn't otherwise have. "I know defensively he is going to be one of our best guys," Painter said. "If not the best, on and off the ball. " Octeus said his learning curve has been greater at Purdue on offense so far, with it being easier on defense since Painter's mentality lines up closely with that of hard-liner Rams coach Larry Eustachy. But at Colorado State, Octeus averaged 13.5 points last season as the team's No. 1 point guard, didn't turn the ball over much — roughly once per game while averaging 33.6 minutes — and shot 36 percent from three-point range, a phase of his game that's consid- ered secondary to his slashing ability. The biggest thing for Purdue, though, is his reputed wiring. "Every person I talked to who had coached him or coached against him said the same thing," Painter said. "They said, 'He plays hard, he's a team guy, a junkyard dog, a guy you want on your team.' Then I had a couple guys who I respect in the business just say, 'He comes across as a Purdue guy.' "You can never have enough of those types of guys." — Brian Neubert