# 2023–24 Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons men's basketball team represented Purdue University Fort Wayne in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mastodons, led by tenth-year head coach Jon Coffman, played their home games at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as members of the Horizon League. They finished the season 23–13, and 11–9 in Horizon League play to tie with Cleveland State for seventh place.

## Previous season

The Mastodons finished the 2020–21 season 17–15, 9–11 in Horizon League play, to finish tied for eighth place. They went to lose in the first round of the Horizon League tournament to Detroit Mercy.

## Offseason
### Departures

Purdue Fort Wayne departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Bobby Planutis | 0 | F | 6' 8" | 205 | Graduate student | Hazleton, PA | Graduated |
| Jarred Godfrey | 1 | G | 6' 5" | 190 | Graduate student | Atlanta, GA | Graduated |
| Damian Chong Qui | 2 | G | 5' 8" | 155 | Graduate student | Baltimore, MD | Graduated |
| Ra Kpedi | 3 | F | 6' 9" | 245 | Graduate student | Indianapolis, IN | Graduated |
| Dow Dunton | 25 | F | 6' 7" | 210 | Graduate student | Wake Forest, NC | Graduated |
| Deonte Billups | 15 | G | 6' 4" | 200 | Senior | Moline, IL | Graduated |
| Redford Dunton | 14 | F | 6' 7" | 195 | RS freshman | Raleigh, NC | Transferred to Mount Olive |
| JoJo Peterson | 10 | G | 6' 5" | 185 | Sophomore | Johns Creek, GA | Transferred to North Georgia |

### Incoming transfers

Purdue Fort Wayne incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Jalen Jackson | 1 | G | 6' 2" | 200 | Sophomore | Fort Wayne, IN | UIC |
| Rasheed Bello | 0 | G | 6' 0" | 185 | Junior | Chicago, IL | UW–Parkside |
| Maximus Nelson | 11 | F | 6' 8" | 215 | Sophomore | Appleton, WI | Valparaiso |
| Destin Whitaker | 2 | G | 6' 5" | 180 | Senior | Romeoville, IL | Fresno State |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2023* 9:00 p.m., FS2 | | at DePaul | W 82–74 | 1–0 | 24 – Morton-Robertson | 8 – Jackson | 3 – 3 tied | Wintrust Arena (931) Chicago, IL |
| November 9, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Andrews (MI) | W 130–34 | 2–0 | 21 – Jackson | 9 – Nelson | 9 – Morton-Robertson | War Memorial Coliseum (1,604) Fort Wayne, IN |
| November 12, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Texas A&M–Commerce | W 86–64 | 3–0 | 29 – Bello | 10 – Roberts | 4 – Bello | War Memorial Coliseum (1,886) Fort Wayne, IN |
| November 17, 2023* 4:30 p.m. | | vs. Northern Arizona Arizona Tip-Off (Desert Division) first round | W 77–67 | 4–0 | 27 – Morton-Robertson | 10 – Roberts | 4 – Bello | Desert Diamond Arena (1,028) Phoenix, AZ |
| November 18, 2023* 4:30 p.m. | | vs. South Dakota Arizona Tip-Off (Desert Division) championship game | W 93–81 | 5–0 | 19 – Jackson | 8 – Mulder | 9 – Bello | Desert Diamond Arena (1,211) Phoenix, AZ |
| November 22, 2023* 9:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at San Francisco Arizona Tip-Off campus-site game | L 60–76 | 5–1 | 16 – Roberts | 7 – Roberts | 5 – Jackson | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, CA |
| November 25, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Wittenberg | W 95–65 | 6–1 | 16 – Bello | 7 – Mulder | 4 – Bello | Gates Sports Center (816) Fort Wayne, IN |
| November 29, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Green Bay | W 75–71 | 7–1 (1–0) | 19 – Jackson | 11 – Mulder | 4 – Bello | War Memorial Coliseum (1,807) Fort Wayne, IN |
| December 2, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Oakland | W 98–77 | 8–1 (2–0) | 20 – Roberts | 8 – Mulder | 6 – Bello | Athletics Center O'rena (1,000) Rochester, MI |
| December 6, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Southern Indiana | W 70–57 | 9–1 | 19 – Roberts | 7 – 3 tied | 3 – Roberts | Screaming Eagles Arena (1,455) Evansville, IN |
| December 9, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Southeast Missouri | W 89–80 | 10–1 | 19 – Bello | 6 – Roberts | 5 – Bello | War Memorial Coliseum (1,838) Fort Wayne, IN |
| December 16, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Bethune–Cookman | W 86–63 | 11–1 | 17 – Jackson | 8 – Mulder | 5 – Roberts | Gates Sports Center (1,089) Fort Wayne, IN |
| December 20, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ACC Network | | at Pittsburgh | L 48–62 | 11–2 | 11 – Bello | 8 – 2 tied | 4 – Bello | Petersen Events Center (7,641) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 29, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Northern Kentucky | W 73–60 | 12–2 (3–0) | 17 – Jackson | 9 – Roberts | 8 – Bello | Gates Sports Center (1,107) Fort Wayne, IN |
| December 31, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Detroit Mercy | W 91–56 | 13–2 (4–0) | 19 – Mulder | 10 – Mulder | 5 – Jackson | Gates Sports Center (1,067) Fort Wayne, IN |
| January 6, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Wright State | L 98–106 | 13–3 (4–1) | 26 – Morton-Robertson | 6 – Mulder | 3 – Bello | Gates Sports Center (1,237) Fort Wayne, IN |
| January 10, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Youngstown State | L 85–93 | 13–4 (4–2) | 25 – Bello | 9 – Roberts | 5 – Roberts | Beeghly Center (2,294) Youngstown, OH |
| January 12, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Robert Morris | L 88–91 | 13–5 (4–3) | 17 – Jackson | 9 – 2 tied | 6 – Bello | UPMC Events Center (972) Moon Township, PA |
| January 17, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | IUPUI | L 79–85 | 13–6 (4–4) | 22 – Jackson | 12 – Mulder | 4 – 2 tied | War Memorial Coliseum (1,164) Fort Wayne, IN |
| January 20, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cleveland State | L 68–75 | 13–7 (4–5) | 20 – Bello | 6 – 2 tied | 6 – Bello | Wolstein Center (1,738) Cleveland, OH |
| January 25, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Northern Kentucky | W 63–58 | 14–7 (5–5) | 17 – Jackson | 9 – Jackson | 3 – 2 tied | Truist Arena (3,079) Highland Heights, KY |
| February 1, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Milwaukee | L 65–68 | 14–8 (5–6) | 17 – Jackson | 8 – Mulder | 6 – Bello | War Memorial Coliseum (903) Fort Wayne, IN |
| February 4, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Youngstown State | W 82–78 | 15–8 (6–6) | 23 – Jackson | 6 – Morton-Robertson | 5 – Bello | Gates Sports Center (1,103) Fort Wayne, IN |
| February 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Cleveland State | L 72–75 | 15–9 (6–7) | 22 – Bello | 7 – Jackson | 3 – Jackson | War Memorial Coliseum (898) Fort Wayne, IN |
| February 10, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at IUPUI | W 92–65 | 16–9 (7–7) | 24 – Jackson | 6 – Roberts | 8 – Morton-Robertson | Indiana Farmers Coliseum Indianapolis, IN |
| February 14, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oakland | L 63–71 | 16–10 (7–8) | 15 – Bello | 9 – Mulder | 4 – Jackson | War Memorial Coliseum (1,604) Fort Wayne, IN |
| February 17, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Detroit Mercy | W 83–69 | 17–10 (8–8) | 24 – Morton-Robertson | 6 – 2 tied | 6 – Jackson | Calihan Hall (1,213) Detroit, MI |
| February 23, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Green Bay | W 85–59 | 18–10 (9–8) | 31 – Roberts | 9 – 2 tied | 4 – 2 tied | Kress Events Center (3,301) Green Bay, WI |
| February 25, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Milwaukee | L 88–96 | 18–11 (9–9) | 21 – Bello | 8 – Mulder | 7 – Jackson | UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena (2,194) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 28, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Wright State | W 79–77 $^{OT}$ | 19–11 (10–9) | 27 – Jackson | 13 – Mulder | 6 – Bello | Nutter Center (3,531) Dayton, OH |
| March 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Robert Morris | W 83–65 | 20–11 (11–9) | 18 – Roberts | 7 – 2 tied | 4 – 2 tied | Gates Sports Center (992) Fort Wayne, IN |
| Horizon League tournament |||||||||
| March 5, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (8) | (9) Robert Morris First round | W 78–63 | 21–11 | 17 – Morton-Robertson | 13 – Mulder | 5 – Morton-Robertson | War Memorial Coliseum (959) Fort Wayne, IN |
| March 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (8) | at (1) Oakland Quarterfinals | L 65–75 | 21–12 | 16 – Bello | 8 – Mulder | 5 – Bello | Athletics Center O'rena (3,721) Rochester, MI |
| CIT |||||||||
| March 20, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Bowling Green Jim Phelan Classic – first round | W 77–75 | 22–12 | 18 – Jackson | 8 – Mulder | 5 – Bello | Stroh Center (1,219) Bowling Green, OH |
| March 25, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Tarleton State Semifinals | W 73–72 | 23–12 | 21 – Bello | 15 – Mulder | 4 – Jackson | Wisdom Gym (1,686) Stephenville, TX |
| March 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Norfolk State Championship | L 67–75 | 23–13 | 18 – Roberts | 8 – Roberts | 8 – Bello | Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (1,576) Norfolk, VA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources: