Passion for defense fuels Brandon Newman, Purdue during late-season winning streak

WEST LAFAYETTE – Brandon Newman is falling in love.

With defense.

“I love it,” he said. “I’m falling in love with it, to be honest. They’re having me jam the ball, they’re having me pick up full court. I’m enjoying that a lot. I’ve been able to generate a lot of positive things for us. A lot of my offense is just from playing well on defense.”

When Newman’s career started with Purdue, everything the Valparaiso graduate did was dictated by his offense. Taking jumpers was always the No. 1 priority, and if they didn’t fall, Newman would keep shooting until they did and then find himself back on the bench.

But the defensive part started to click for Newman, a fan favorite who has tremendous individual skill and athletic ability but has struggled to develop into a complete player during his career.

Maybe it’s starting to come together as the Boilermakers, the top seed in the East Region, begin NCAA tournament play Friday in Columbus, Ohio against either Texas Southern or Fairleigh Dickinson (6:50 p.m., TNT).

STARTING LINEUP CHANGE

The focus on defense started to click in early February when Purdue hosted Penn State and traveled to Indiana, riding a nine-game winning streak and comfortably atop the Big Ten standings.

The Boilermakers lost in Bloomington, giving up a season-high 79 points, but Newman discovered his defensive gene that day. There were visible signs against Northwestern that carried over through the final weeks of the regular season.

“At Indiana, I was able to guard Jalen (Hood-Schifino) a little bit, and I was able to get some stops and stuff,” Newman recalled. “It came down the final stretch with five minutes left, and I didn’t come back into the game, and I was a little upset about it.

“I felt like I was playing good defense on him, and I made a shot and hadn’t turned it over. I felt like could’ve done a good job and given us a little bit of a better chance to win that game.”

Newman moved on, knowing momentum was building for him on the defensive end and stayed focused on playing with positive energy, which he did against Indiana in the second meeting at Mackey Arena.

By Purdue’s next game, Newman was in the starting lineup at Wisconsin. The coaching staff had dropped a couple of hints, but he didn’t know until preparation started for the Badgers.

“It means they trust me a little bit more than they have in the past,” Newman said. “They’re not going to start guys who they don’t think they’re not going to do what they ask and play the right way and play the best basketball to help Purdue win.”

Newman has contributed steals, he’s taken on the challenge of defending the opposing team’s top perimeter player – along with Ethan Morton – and continued to give the Boilermakers energy. Purdue has also won five straight games with Newman in the starting lineup.

PLAYING THROUGH DEFENSE

The question – why did it take so long for Newman to embrace the defensive side?

“Probably has a lot to do with my focus and my concentration level,” he said.  “Those talks have never been about my inability to be able to guard. It’s really from a mental standpoint, from a cognitive standpoint just be able to know what’s going on but also apply it.”

He struggled shooting at Wisconsin but made key defensive plays that were converted into layups. He went 0 of 4 shooting against Rutgers in the Big Ten tournament but played 22 minutes because of his defense.

Against Ohio State, Newman scored 15 points but also helped keep freshman Bruce Thornton from enjoying a big game. He forced a five-second call in front of Purdue coach Matt Painter, who celebrated with Newman and the Boilermaker faithful packed into the United Center roared with approval.  

“I thought Brandon Newman really stepped up and played well,” Painter said. “He did a good job guarding Bruce Thornton; he didn’t turn the basketball over and just made some key plays.”

Since moving into the starting lineup, Newman’s played three games where he didn’t make a 3-pointer. But the lack of success on offense hasn’t derailed him from his defensive duties.

“Just starting to believe in myself and just to know that I can do it,” Newman said. “Now, I’m playing well on both sides of the ball and my minutes have shown that.”

His teammates have watched his journey unfold.

He made one start during the 2021-22 season – and that was when Jaden Ivey was injured – after starting 23 games as a redshirt freshman. He endured stretches of seeing limited action as a sophomore until breakout performances in the Big Ten tournament against Penn State and Michigan State.

‘UNBELIEVABLE LEADER’

So, when Purdue celebrated winning the Big Ten regular season title and Newman, who had a terrific performance against Illinois on March 5, was decorated in his conference championship wardrobe, Morton praised his classmate.

Newman had deflected a question in the postgame press conference about his game, changing the narrative back to what the Boilermakers had accomplished.

“It’s been a blessing to be a part of this team up to this point,” Newman said. “I don’t want to take anything away from our team’s success to this point. I know we’ve been top five in the country a majority of the year and No. 1 in back-to-back years.

“Just for myself, it’s been challenging, to say the least. There’s been a lot of ups and downs. I just want to help my teammates win games. I want to be out there with those guys and be in those moments with them and help Purdue win at the end of the day.”

And Morton quickly spoke up, eager to share his thoughts about Newman’s path.  

“He talked about it; we’ve talked about sacrificing. I wish Brandon could play 40 minutes a game,” Morton said. “For him to play the way he played really the whole season but especially the past few weeks, I couldn’t be happier for him.

“I’ve learned so much from him just how he’s been able to handle himself through the ups and downs. He’s been an unbelievable leader and person for us. We’re grateful to have him. For him to always make it about the team, it’s hard to do. I’m damn happy for him, and I just wanted to say that.”

‘MY FOCUS IS BETTER’

You could tell the black T-shirt highlighting the title the Boilermakers had actually won three days before in Wisconsin and the championship hat with a piece of the net tied to it gave Newman a reason to smile.

The black and gold confetti flew that day in Mackey Arena, and Newman was a big reason why Painter’s team put the finishing touches on a regular season where Purdue won the league title by three games and now has added a Big Ten tournament championship.

The Boilermakers would like to add more pieces of nets to their collection from the NCAA tournament. If they do, the shift in Newman’s mindset will likely have contributed.

“I just think my focus is better,” Newman said. “I think I’m able to sustain the want and the drive to guard and play defense. Up to this point, I think it’s always been about if I make a shot or something, but now let’s get down in a stance.

“Every few plays I’ll show up or show a glimpse and have a good moment on defense. Now, I’m able to put better halves together and better runs together from a defensive standpoint and having less breakdowns.”