LAS VEGAS — When the Lakers hosted Peter Suder for a pre-draft workout, they were drawn to his basketball IQ.
His unselfishness.
His competitiveness.
All — especially the latter — were on display March 6 when Suder and the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks were on the cusp of an undefeated regular season and becoming the only unbeaten team in Division I men’s basketball.
The last obstacle in their way?
A road matchup against their in-state rival, the Ohio Bobcats, at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.
Suder, the 2026 MAC Player of the Year, didn’t have his typical performance. But he made multiple clutch plays, scoring five of his 13 points during overtime, to help the RedHawks clinch the undefeated regular season, much to the dismay of the fiery crowd of 10,740.
“They were talking trash and letting us hear [it] the whole game,” Suder told The California Post.
Trash wasn’t just being talked — it was being thrown, too.
Wrappers.
Beer cans.
Any piece of trash in sight.
The Ohio fans made their feelings clear toward the RedHawks. And so did the Miami players, flipping off the fans during the chaotic scene.
“We started to get hit in the face with some trash when they’re throwing it at us, and it kind of just came out,” Suder told the Post.
Suder’s interaction with the fans went viral as he waved goodbye to the Ohio fans while saying, “F— k you, b——s.”
“It was awesome, I’m not going to lie,” Suder told the Post. “I enjoyed it.”
As Suder exchanged his red-and-white Miami jersey for the Lakers’ purple-and-gold uniform after signing a two-way contract with the franchise after going undrafted, his competitive nature has continued to be displayed.
Even when his shot hasn’t fallen during the Lakers’ summer league slate, which continues Saturday with their Las Vegas summer league semifinals matchup against the Warriors, Suder’s still diving for loose balls.
Hustling to create or save possessions.
Suder hasn’t shot as efficiently as he did in college, converting 33% of his shot attempts and 22.2% of his 3-pointers through six exhibitions.
After shooting 42.1% during his final season with the RedHawks, he knows that’ll be a significant factor for success in his NBA career.
“The No. 1 thing is for me to be successful and get a really good role at the NBA level and play consistent minutes, [I] got to be able to shoot the cover off the ball from 3,” he told the Post. “That’s got to become my bread and butter. And, obviously, I can make plays off of that, make other people better, make myself better, whether it’s finishing at the rim, just different types of things. But the No. 1 thing that they loved about me was just competitiveness and toughness, just not backing down from anybody.”
Suder is also aware of the “stereotype” he’ll be a part of in the NBA.
Which is why he’s working on his lateral quickness to help him become a more respected defender.
“My stereotype in the NBA is to be a 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5 catch-and-shoot guy,” Suder told the Post. “The main thing that NBA teams do nowadays is they see an advantage that they like, and they just go at it and they just keep doing it until, basically, you earn their respect that you can guard the ball. So that’s one thing I’m going to definitely have to do. Whether it’s like plyometrics in the weight room, a bunch of mobility, just different types of things to get quicker. Whether it’s getting the body fat down.
“There’s so many little aspects that you can create, even if it’s a 0.2 second quicker that can win basketball games or help you guard somebody that’s smaller and quicker than you.”
Summer league has been the first step for Suder to get used to the differences between what he faced in a mid-major conference and the NBA.
“He’s going to be put in some different positions,” summer league coach Ty Abbott said. “He’s going to handle, he’s going to be off the ball a little bit, and for him it’s just about being aggressive, being confident, and coming in and … play your game. You got open windows, find windows, and then when you have the window, shoot it. So it’s about his shot-making ability, and then ability to be a little bit versatile, handle the ball a little bit, kind of a jack-of-all-trades thing there as well.”
