Friday, May 28, 2021

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue men’s basketball head coach has announced that Spike Albrecht and Tommy Luce will join the Boilermakers’ staff as graduate assistants, while P.J. Thompson will remain on the staff and be elevated to director of player development.

“Spike, Tommy and P.J., will all be welcome additions. We are excited for them to be part of our staff moving forward,” Painter said. “All three were Big Ten Champions and helped us win a lot of games. They have spent the last couple of years breaking into the coaching ranks and will be able to step right in and help our program immediately.”

Thompson, a 2018 Purdue graduate, was instrumental in the development of Purdue’s young guards last season, serving as a mentor to Jaden Ivey, Brandon Newman, Sasha Stefanovic, Eric Hunter Jr., Ethan Morton and Isaiah Thompson. Last season, the Boilermakers posted an 18-10 overall record with a 13-6 Big Ten record while earning a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, thanks to strong play from its young backcourt.

Thompson’s roles will include individual instruction, opponent breakdown and tendencies and team assignments aided to further individual player development. He will also be heavily involved in on-campus recruiting.

Following an outstanding Purdue career, P.J. Thompson returned to the Boilermaker as a graduate assistant after playing professionally in Netherlands during the 2018-19 season.

He was a three-year starter at Purdue and currently ranks second in career assist / turnover ratio (2.94), is 10th in career 3-point percentage (.404) and 15th in career 3-pointers made (161) at Purdue. He appeared in 137 games, the eighth most in school history, while helping Purdue to the 2017 Big Ten Championship, a pair of Sweet 16 appearances (2017, 2018) and a school-record 30 wins as senior during the 2017-18 campaign. He is the winningest point guard in school history, having a hand in 102 victories, posting a 102-35 record in his games played.

Albrecht will be in his first year as a graduate assistant at Purdue after a career at both Michigan and Purdue.

A 2016 graduate of Michigan, Albrecht helped the Wolverines to the 2013 Final Four as well as a Big Ten title in 2014. He became a national sensation after scoring 17 first-half points in the National Championship game against Louisville.

He then joined the Boilermakers as a grad transfer for the 2016-17 season, helping Purdue to a Big Ten regular-season championship and a spot in the Sweet 16, while earning his master’s degree in technology, leadership and innovation.

Albrecht then joined the Northfield Mount Herman (prep) staff for a season, before a stint with Louisville as a grad assistant. For the last year, Albrecht has been running his own basketball training business in Northwest Indiana.

Luce will also enter his first year as a graduate assistant for Purdue after one of the best four-year stretches in school history.

Luce and Albrecht will be responsible for opponent scouting, film breakdown, helping with individual workouts and administrative duties as they both break into the collegiate coaching ranks.

Luce, a 2020 graduate, finished his career with a pair of Big Ten Championships (2017, 2019), two Sweet 16 appearances, a trip to the Elite Eight in 2019 and 99 victories. Luce was one of the most well-liked, and well-respected players in Purdue history.

For the past year, Luce has worked as a sales representative for Shelby Materials in Beech Grove, Indiana, while serving as an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Greenwood High School under head coach Joe Bradburn. He was responsible for working out the guards during practices and workouts, putting together scouting reports and he conducted team camps in the fall and spring.

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