Matt Painter Explains Purpose Behind Purdue Training With Navy SEALs

Purdue coach Matt Painter wanted to test his team before the 2025-26 college basketball season began. One of the best ways to do that? How about an early-morning training session with the Navy SEALs?

Over the weekend, Purdue's basketball team endured a grueling training session with the Navy SEALs to test the team's physical and mental toughness. But those weren't the most important things Painter wanted players to gain from the unique experience.

"The thing for me was the leadership piece. They do such a good job in explaining their world and trying to relate to our world, which are two different worlds. Really different," Painter said. "But when it comes to leadership, it's not. When it comes to communication, it's not. So there are a lot of things that are the same, even though it's two different worlds."

Last year, one of the biggest issues Purdue battled throughout the basketball season was in the area of communication. Frequently, Painter would say, "Who you are off the court can't be who you are on the court." At times, the communication piece could be frustrating.

With a team built to win a Big Ten title and make a Final Four run, Painter wanted to emphasize leadership and communication before the season even started. He believes those are key attributes to any successful team.

"Learning to be able to communicate with each other, learn about each other a little bit more, get to know each other a little bit more," Painter said. "The overall commitment to the team."

Purdue releases Navy SEALs training video

What did Purdue's day of training with the Navy SEALs look like? For those curious, Purdue released a video of the session on YouTube.

After watching the video, fans had plenty of reactions to it. For those who haven't seen it, the full video is posted below. It shows just how intense that training session was for everyone involved.