Purdue basketball's Myles Colvin 'staying focused on end goal' with minutes limited
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Myles Colvin expressed his eagerness to finally be a part of the storied Purdue basketball vs. Indiana rivalry.
Prior to departure for Bloomington earlier this week, Colvin said he was ready to do whatever he could to help the Boilermakers leave Assembly Hall victorious.
Except by the time Colvin subbed in with 55 seconds remaining, the outcome was no longer in question.
Colvin has learned a lot during his first season of college basketball, but perhaps patience has been at the top of the list.
"The whole team has been letting me know that it's not always going to go my way and obviously I know that coming to a team that is the No. 1 team in the country and had almost everybody returning," Colvin said.
Colvin is going to be a big time player for Purdue. He knows it. Matt Painter knows it. Everyone who practices with and against Colvin every day knows it.
But in the current, Colvin has played three minutes or less in three of the last four games.
In the other, he immediately knocked down a pull-up jumper and a 3-pointer and assisted on a basket upon entering in a victory over Penn State.
More: Zach Edey's loose ball dive a staple of Purdue basketball's success
"There's no doubt when you see him come in and kind of have that short memory to just come in and I'm going to stick this pullup," Painter said. "When the ball comes back to me, I'm going to shoot a 3. He's been sitting over there for 30 minutes. You know how hard that is? That's hard. He's a good player. He's a talented player."
Colvin at the moment seems to be the odd man out in a battle for minutes between himself, senior Ethan Morton and redshirt freshman Camden Heide.
Aside from Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer, almost everyone else on Purdue's roster can relate, including Zach Edey, who may well be on his way to becoming a two-time National Player of the Year.
"Everyone knows it's tough to be a freshman in the Big Ten, especially on a really good team," Edey said. "Minutes aren't going to be there. He knows and understands that. He gets his shots up and makes sure he is always ready."
Colvin has proven a ready-made shot maker, making the most of opportunities, perhaps his biggest contribution thus far being helping Purdue knock off Alabama while seeing 15 minutes of action.
Despite averaging just 9.5 minutes per game, Colvin is averaging 4.1 points. That extrapolates to 17 points per 40 minutes.
And he didn't play against Illinois and saw just two minutes against Northwestern, which Painter later admitted he regretted because the Boilermakers needed Colvin's shot making ability in that loss.
"We have the right to be frustrated with our minutes if we're not playing enough because of the work we all put in," Colvin said. "It's a matter of staying focused at the end goal and if we're winning, you're happy at the end of the day."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
No. 2 Purdue (16-2, 5-2) at Iowa (11-6, 3-3)
WHERE: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500), Iowa City, Iowa
WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
TV: FS1
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: With limited minutes, Purdue basketball's Myles Colvin stays ready
