SAN JOSE, CA — The score’s tied in the Sweet 16, the ball’s bouncing around the rim, the clock is down to its final second for Purdue and Texas – this is no time to be stoic. Now, if you wanted to talk about stoics, Trey Kaufman-Renn is your man. Stoicism is a philosophy, a way of life, something to do with living virtuously to achieve inner peace and happiness, but it’s no way to grab an offensive rebound.
Here’s the thing about Purdue senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn: He knows when it’s time to be the gentle giant, the Academic All-Big Ten Philosophy major who befriends his older teachers and encourages his younger teammates – and he knows when it’s time to be a bulldozer and lower his head and get to the rim.
One second left Thursday night, at the SAP Center in San Jose?
Time to bulldoze some poor sap.
Purdue point guard Braden Smith has done the heavy lifting early in the play, staring down his bigger, stronger defender with nine seconds left – now eight, seven, six – and then just blowing past him. Smith gets to the rim, and all eyes are on him, which is why officials don’t see what Trey Kaufman-Renn is doing to his defender.
Poor guy’s name is Dailyn Swain. He goes 6 foot 8 and 225 pounds, which isn’t small, but in Trey Kaufman-Renn he’s trying to block out a guy who spent his first three seasons at Purdue banging every day in practice with 7-4, 300-pound Zach Edey.
The 6-9 Kaufman-Renn is listed at 240 pounds, and here’s all I’ll say about that: No possible way he weighs only 240. As Smith gets to the rim with five seconds left – now four, three – Kaufman-Renn is leaning all of his 240-plus pounds on Swain’s back, driving him toward the rim, then under it. Smith’s shot goes high off the glass with three seconds left, two … and Kaufman-Renn puts a shoulder between Swain’s shoulder blades and nudges him out of the way.
Gently, you might say.
The ball bounces off the rim, the clock says one second, and Kaufman-Renn is the only player going for the rebound. Swain’s down there somewhere under the rim, just staring up, helplessly, and Kaufman-Renn rises above him and taps home perhaps the sweetest shot in Purdue’s NCAA Tournament history.
The ball nestles softly into the next with 0.7 seconds left as Kaufman-Renn nods triumphantly. Texas is out of timeouts, and after the Longhorns’ 75-foot heave goes begging, the game is over. Purdue has defeated Texas 79-77, and now Kaufman-Renn’s teammates are chasing him all over the court.
Kaufman-Renn lets it happens. There is a time to be the hammer and a time to be the nail, and he’s playing the nail now. Purdue players are pushing and shoving him all over the court and he’s letting it happen, floating along, carried by 10 or 12 teammates and the best feeling, surely, of his young life.
“Kind of cool to experience that,” TKR says later, downplaying ever so slightly a game-winner that has sent Purdue basketball to the Elite Eight.
Hey, it’s cool. Now’s a fine time to be the stoic.
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Braden Smith’s underrated weapon key on final play
Afterward, Matt Painter is being philosophical.
“Sometimes,” he says, “your best shot is a miss in that situation.”
He’s talking about Braden Smith’s layup.
Purdue has the ball with 11 seconds left, tie score, which means overtime should be the worst possible outcome. But the players have to be coached well, the play call has to be right, and the execution has to be perfect. And that’s what happened, with Purdue offensive coordinator P.J. Thompson going through his mental Rolodex of plays and coming up with a clear-out for Smith to get to his right hand.
Little secret about Braden Smith, something people don’t realize because, well, look at him. You know why people don’t realize what I’m about to tell you:
Braden Smith has an NBA-quick first step. This doesn’t really surprise you, does it? He’s a two-time All-American, the NCAA career leader in assists, the greatest four-year point guard not just in Purdue history, but probably in Big Ten history. You think he got there with average athletic ability? No way. Whether other people know this, Braden knows it:
“I feel if I get a little bit of a head start,” he was saying afterward, “I’m going past anybody.”
For the play to work just right, though, he has to go at the right time. Go too early, and whatever happens – especially if he makes the layup – Texas has time for something workable. Go too late, and if he misses, teammates don’t have time for the tip-in.
Thompson made the play call – that was the cake, let’s say – and Painter made the strategic adjustment. The icing, you might say.
“The one thing we told them,” Painter was saying of the four players joining Smith on the court for the final play, “nobody’s a safety. Nobody gets back. Don’t get back on defense – everybody gets to the (offensive) glass.”
Smith leaves at just the right time. He gets past 6-3 Texas guard Chendall Weaver, gets to the rim, gets a shot off the glass and rim. Starting guard C.J. Cox is charging the lane. Reserve forward Jack Benter, playing because center Oscar Cluff fouled out on Swain’s three-point play that tied the score with 11 seconds left, is heading to the rim too.
But Kaufman-Renn is already down there, in position, leaning on Swain, giving him a lesson in metaphysics or logic or just hard truth: A 225-pounder cannot keep someone who weighs 240-plus off the glass. Not when it’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, having one of the games of his life, and not ready to go home just yet.
Purdue basketball’s best senior class: Trey Kaufman-Renn, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer
Now, Matt Painter is laughing. These seniors – Smith, Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer – have taken him on the ride of his life. Remember when Purdue was always good in the regular season, and often disappointing afterward? Not anymore. Not since Kaufman-Renn, Smith and Loyer formed a freshman class in 2022-23. Since then the Boilers have been ranked No. 1 in each of their four seasons, reached the 2024 NCAA title game and are now back in the Elite Eight.
“They’re the all-time winningest players in Purdue history,” Painter says of Smith, TKR and Loyer’s total of 117 victories. “They have the all-time most wins in NCAA Tournament (10) in program history.”
Now Painter’s chuckling.
“They keep compiling these things.”
And not by riding anyone else’s coattails. All three have been playing premium basketball this month, with Loyer on an all-time heater, which is saying something for the No. 12 scorer in program history. In the 10 games of March, he’s averaging 16 ppg on 51.4% shooting on 3-pointers (38 of 74).
Smith had that magical Big Ten Tournament where he chased down almost every assist record he didn’t yet have, leaving only Bobby Hurley’s career mark undone, then getting it in the first round against Queens. And Kaufman-Renn has averaged 17.2 points and 7.6 rebounds with 61% shooting from the floor. They have turned the whole month into one huge, beautiful senior moment.
Said Kaufman-Renn, who had 20 points and eight rebounds, made his first seven shots and finished 8 of 10 from the floor: “So many guys don’t have that connectivity, synergy, whatever you call that. I’m glad to be part of it. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Said Loyer, who hit two 3-pointers in the first minute, scored 18 points and made all four of Purdue’s 3-pointers:
“These two mean everything to us, two of our best players, two of our hardest workers,” he said of TKR and Smith. “When things don’t go their way, to keep their head up, it’s what winners do. They’re two winners. I couldn’t be happier to play with them.”
Said Smith, who had 16 points and five assists, and considered it a poor game:
“They got on me for my performance, and I’d want that,” he said. “That’s what I respect most about Fletch. I had a terrible first half, and not great second half, and he was like, ‘Bro, keep shooting.’ Stuff like that, it means so much. And Trey’s a silent leader – he’s out there playing, puts his body on the line.”
Silent leader? A stoic, you could that. But he’s physical, or meta-physical, or whatever. Kaufman-Renn barely came out of the game, just once in the second half, and that was to have the blood disinfected from his jersey. Whose blood? Kaufman-Renn wasn’t saying, wasn’t complaining, didn’t even notice the blood. An official had to point it out, and send him to the bench.
“Some guys are low maintenance,” Painter said of Kaufman-Renn. “He’s absolutely no maintenance. He wants to get his degree. He wants to be successful. He wants to get to the NBA. That’s about it.
“All these guys here,” Painter said of the greatest senior class in Purdue history, “they make your job easy. They’ll spoil you.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Doyel: Seniors are all-time winningest Purdue basketball players, keep making March memories
Reporting by Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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