Purdue center Will Berg (44) during open practice before the Midwest Regional Sweet 16 round / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
For the past two seasons, Will Berg might've had the worst job in college basketball. Every day for two years, The 7-foot-2 center from Sweden was tasked with defending two-time National Player of the Year and NBA lottery pick Zach Edey. Those Purdue practices probably weren't too much fun.
But those battles prepared Berg for his moment. After having to watch from the sidelines for the past two seasons, the redshirt sophomore is finally going to get an opportunity to show what he can do on the floor.
Purdue hasn't played an actual game yet, but Berg is already enjoying the offseason a lot more.
"It's been fun. It's been a fun offseason," Berg said. "I've taken huge steps. But it's also made certain aspects of it a little bit harder since I'm putting a little bit more pressure on myself to perform better. So it's been both good and bad.
"I Couldn't ask for anything else, getting an opportunity. It's been way more fun, getting more engaged, getting more reps in practice -- it's just been the best thing."
Berg has played sparingly since his arrival in West Lafayette. He redshirted during the 2022-23 season and saw limited action during last year's run to the National Championship Game. He played in 14 contests, averaging 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in those appearances.
Heading into to the 2024-25 season, there's an expectation that Berg will play a more significant role for the Boilermakers with Edey out of the mix. His first major opportunity comes on Saturday, as Purdue travels to Omaha, Neb. to play Creighton in a charity exhibition game.
As many questions as there are about Berg's on-court performance -- mostly because we haven't seen much from his in two years -- it's the mental approach that Berg has focused on during the offseason.
"I've taken big steps in that from my freshman year and last year, too," Berg said. "But it's something that I'm always going to have to work on. We have different phrases and different excercises to help move on from stuff like that."
It's the "next play" mentality that Berg has struggled with during his first two years in West Lafayette. Negative thoughts start to creep in after making mistakes on the floor.
Berg's struggles in that department aren't uncommon. Basketball is an emotional game, filled with plenty of highs and lows. The 7-foot-2 center has shown coach Matt Painter that he's capable of contributing on the floor, but it's been a battle to shake the small stuff.
"He's been our most physical post. We've got to get him to be physical without fouling, more than anything" Painter said. "And then just move to the next play. You do well, move to the next play. You have a breakdown, move to the next play. I think that's going to be important for him."
Berg has put a lot of time into "moving on" from play to play. But he can't escape some of the pressure he faces entering his redshirt sophomore season.
Painter has a loaded frontcourt entering his 20th season. Along with Berg, the Boilermakers have freshman Daniel Jacobsen (7-foot-4), freshman Raleigh Burgess (6-foot-11) and senior Caleb Furst (6-foot-10) who could all vie for playing time alongside Trey Kaufman-Renn.
There's a lot of competition for playing time.
Like the others before him, if Berg wants to see significant playing time, he's going to have to earn it. Because of that, he can be overly critical of himself.
"That's something I still struggle with ... putting too much pressure on (myself)," Berg said. "When that happens, (find) the joy of it. Find a way back to that and always enjoying being on the court and playing basketball. Not forgetting how blessed and thankful to be where I'm at today."
Perhaps some of that will go away when Berg is on the court playing against an actual opponent. Maybe when he gets into a rhythm and logs consistent minutes, he'll find more comfort in accepting that "next play" mentality.
"He needs to play, he needs to get out there," Painter said. "You wish he could just go out there and he could play 30 minutes, right? He needs that type of experience."
PURDUE-CREIGHTON THINGS TO WATCH: Purdue plays a charity exhibition game against Creighton on Saturday. Here are five things to watch as the Boilermakers hit the floor for the 2024-25 season. CLICK HERE
HOW TO WATCH PURDUE-CREIGHTON: Purdue has revealed how to watch its charity exhibition basketball game against Creighton on Saturday, Oct. 26. CLICK HERE
PAINTER TALKS LINEUPS AT CREIGHTON: Purdue coach Matt Painter talked about lineups, playing "small ball" and what all he expects to get out of Saturday's exhibition game vs. Creighton. CLICK HERE
PURDUE WON BEFORE EDEY: Yes, Zach Edey played a major role in Purdue's success over the last four years. But the Boilermakers had a tradition of winning before his arrival. CLICK HERE