West Lafayette, Ind.—
A whirlwind 48 hours for Purdue basketball fans has ended up right back where it started.At the end of the day, Matt Painter is the head coach of the Boilermakers basketball program, listening to an offer from Missouri but eventually turning it down.
Fox59's Chris Hagan first confirmed that fact Wednesday afternoon, which followed a report from the St. Louis Post Dispatch that Painter had in fact accepted the job with the Tigers. Purdue confirmed the Fox59 report at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, announcing that Painter had signed a new eight-year contract with the school.
"I am extremely excited about continuing my career at Purdue. I believe we have built something very special. At the same time, I feel we have much more ahead of us to accomplish," said Painter in a news release from the school this afternoon.
"There's a lot to be excited about right now with Purdue basketball. We are moving into our new offices and locker room complex over the next couple of weeks. Our program is built on hard work, and we are ready to get back to improving as a team and a staff.
The new deal runs through the 2018-2019 seasons. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
"We are thrilled to announce that Matt will continue his leadership of our men's basketball program at his alma mater," said Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke through a news release from the school. "He has been at the helm of the winningest four-year period in the storied history of Boilermaker basketball, and we pledge to work with him to win championships."
Already a few Purdue players has take to Twitter to express his excitement at the news. Forward Robbie Hummel, who will be a senior next season, tweeted just after 4 P.M. "Great day for the boilers! Time to get back to work!!"
Forward Patrick Bade tweeted this soon after: "Great news for boiler nation! Our commander-in-chief is staying home!"
Wednesday's late afternoon developments completed a week of speculation that grew over the weekend. Painter had become a strong candidate to fill the vacancy at Missouri, which was opened when Mike Anderson left to be the head man at Arkansas. Painter met with officials from Missouri on Tuesday in Florida where the coach was vacationing.
Since taking over for Gene Keady in the 2005-2006 season, Painter has enjoyed a strong run of basketball that has put Purdue at the top of the Big Ten again. His teams have made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and went to the Sweet 16 in 2009 and 2010. Purdue also won a share of the 2009-2010 Big Ten regular seasons championship and the 2009 Big Ten Tournament title.
This past season, the Boilermakers finished second in the Big Ten with a 26-8 record despite losing senior Robbie Hummel to a torn ACL during the first practice. Painter's team was eliminated in the second round of the Southwest Region.
