College Basketball Analyst Provides Breakdown of Purdue Guard Omer Mayer's Game

Originally posted on Purdue Boilermakers on SI
By Dustin Schutte | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 2:21 PM ET

Over the last week, Purdue fans have add the opportunity to catch a glimpse of guard Omer Mayer in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup. He's provided some major sparks for Israel, leading his team to a trip to the quarterfinal round of the event before suffering a 79-55 loss to Slovenia on Friday.

Mayer has been sensational through four games, averaging 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. His 33-point performance in a win over Cameroon in the Round of 16 is the best single-game performance of the event this year.

But what exactly does Mayer bring to West Lafayette? How will his skill set help the Boilermakers in their quest to a national championship during the 2025-26 season? ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla provided a short, two-minute breakdown of the guard's game.

Fran Fraschilla breaks down Omer Mayer's game

During FIBA World Cup, Mayer has demonstrated the ability to do a little bit of everything on the court. He's capable of hitting big-time shots and is also a great passer and strong rebounder for a lead guard.

Below is the video of Fraschilla's breakdown of Mayer's game.

Hey, @BoilerBall fans, here’s a quick scouting report of Israeli guard, Omer Mayer. He’s been starring in @FIBAWC Under 19’s. He’s not Rick Mount but he’s pretty darn good. @bigten @coach_paint pic.twitter.com/tg0tgWCNCJ
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) July 3, 2025

Trey Kaufman-Renn ready for Omer Mayer to arrive at Purdue

When Mayer committed to Purdue in April, the Boilermakers quickly became one of the favorites to win the national championship in 2026. Those believes were only strengthened after Purdue's first practice of the summer, when senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn talked about the rumors.

Because of the FIBA World Cup, Mayer has not yet been on Purdue's campus to practice with the 2025-26 team. But Kaufman-Renn is excited for the chance to work with his new teammate. The reason why? Assistant coach PJ Thompson has already compared the Israeli guard to senior guard Braden Smith.

"PJ said he's kind of like Braden (Smith), but a little bit taller," Kaufman-Renn said with a laugh. "If that's the description that you give a player, I don't think there's anybody that can beat us if that's the case."

That's a pretty high bar to meet, but Mayer has performed extremely well in the FIBA World Cup. Plenty of Purdue fans are already excited to see the guard wearing the black-and-gold uniform later this year.

This article first appeared on Purdue Boilermakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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