D.J. Byrd didn’t see a copy of the box score from Purdue’s 78-44 exhibition victory over California University of Pennsylvania until well after the game ended Tuesday.
He had a one-word reaction: “Dang.”
Five turnovers and five fouls in 17 minutes.
The turnovers had teammate Chris Kramer ribbing Byrd, telling him “we were in the white jerseys.”
The bumps were typical of a freshman’s first college game – but didn’t tell the whole story for Byrd.
That’s a reason for fans of the seventh-ranked Boilermakers to be excited.
Byrd showed flashes of his scoring potential with 11 points and two three-pointers in the first half. His driving layup that wound up a three-point play capped a 13-2 run that pushed Purdue’s lead to 40-18.
Byrd made three of four shots, including both threes, and three of four free throws. He also had three rebounds.
“I could have done a lot better, and I’m still trying to make strides in a lot of areas,” said Byrd, three points off Keaton Grant’s team-high 14.
Byrd entered the game for the first time at 14:03 in the first half and was on the floor with fellow freshmen Kelsey Barlow and Patrick Bade as well as sophomore Ryne Smith and senior Mark Wohlford.
Soon after, Byrd stuck a three-pointer from the corner and drilled another one 80 seconds later. He also made a pair of free throws before taking a seat with 8:05 left.
“The way he can shoot the basketball, he can bring that guy out and really be more of a weapon for us on the offensive end against a bigger (power forward),” Kramer said.
Though Byrd might be a mismatch on offense for other forwards, he admits he has work to do on defense. Bodying-up in the post is a bit new for Byrd, who would seem to have the size (6-foot-5, 214 pounds) to handle it.
He said he hadn’t worked inside much but has been spending time in practice with the big guys.
“I’m used to it being a lot more physical in practice, and that showed with the fouls,” he said.
Byrd’s turnovers were on errant passes. Kramer said Byrd telegraphed passes and coach Matt Painter said Byrd attempted some across his body.
But the positive signs are important, especially for a player who won’t be counted on for big minutes. Byrd likely spell Robbie Hummel.
“He did some good things,” Painter said. “What he has to understand, moving from high school to college, is he needs to be a shotmaker for us and play with a lot of energy. He doesn’t need to be a playmaker. He needs to make the simple play.
“When he learns to do that, he’s really going to help us and play a good role. You saw that (Tuesday) in spurts.”
