How Better 'Focus' Has Turned Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn Into Rebounding Machine
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The purpose of bringing Oscar Cluff to West Lafayette was to help Purdue with its rebounding issue during the 2024-25 season. Matt Painter struck gold with the 6-foot-11 center out of South Dakota State in more ways than one. With a true center back on the floor for the Boilermakers, senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn has been able to crash the glass harder than ever before.
Last season, Purdue averaged just 32.9 rebounds per game, which ranked 304th in college basketball. To compete for a national championship this year, Painter knew the Boilers had to find a window cleaner capable of dominating the boards every night.
Cluff's arrival and the return of Daniel Jacobsen have certainly helped, but Kaufman-Renn has provided the greatest spark for Purdue in that department, at least through 11 games.
"I'd say just the focus on it. Last year, I felt like I had to score just to keep up with teams that we were playing," Kaufman-Renn said of his improved rebounding. "Now, we just have so many weapons on this team that I can really focus on rebounding."
Kaufman-Renn has been Purdue's top rebounder this season, averaging 10.4 boards to go along with 13.4 points per game. If you add in totals from Cluff and Jacobsen, the trio is securing 24.2 of Purdue's 40.4 rebounds per contest, accounting for 60% of the boards.
Without question, Purdue's ability to have a true center on the floor for a full 40 minutes has made a difference on the glass. But Kaufman-Renn has also made rebounding a priority this season.
"TK has been the one who's made a big jump, Painter said. "Go back and look at three years; he's never rebounded this way. Ever," Painter said. "He was on small dudes when Zach Edey was here; he didn't rebound that way. Now, Zach's getting a lot of them, but you'd think you'd have a couple outlier games."
To Painter's point, Kaufman-Renn has been a serviceable rebounder during his first three seasons at Purdue. As a redshirt freshman during the 2022-23 season, he averaged 1.8 boards per game. Alongside Edey as a starter during the 2023-24 campaign, the forward grabbed 4.0 rebounds per contest.
Kaufman-Renn's numbers improved in his junior season, but primarily because he was Purdue's best option to grab the rebound. His effort on the glass this year has been on a completely different level.
"Give him credit, man," Painter said. "He said he was going to do it, and he has been doing it."
Kaufman-Renn rebounded from the start
After sitting out the first two games of the season, Kaufman-Renn wasted no time proving he could be a factor on the glass for the Boilermakers. In his debut against Alabama, the senior forward chased down three offensive rebounds within the first four minutes of the game.
Kaufman-Renn ended that contest with 19 points and 15 rebounds, leading Purdue to an 87-80 victory over the Crimson Tide. A few days later, against Akron, the Sellersberg native got after it again, scoring 17 points and hauling in 15 more boards.
What's been different for the senior this season?
First, Kaufman-Renn said that boxing out other players at the four spot puts him in a more favorable rebounding position. Last year, he was forced to account for centers, typically on the wrong side of the height and weight differential.
Cluff and Jacobsen are now putting bodies on the five spot, allowing Kaufman-Renn to battle with players his size or smaller and winning those battles.
The other factor, Kaufman-Renn says, is not having to focus so much on scoring every time down the floor.
"I think points for me are just naturally going to come, just with the flow of the offense," he said. "So, if I can turn my attention to rebounding, you see the result of that."
As much as Kaufman-Renn has enjoyed being the focal point of Purdue's offense last season — and still is to an extent this year — he's also embracing other opportunities. When plays aren't drawn up for him, he views it as a chance to help his team on the offensive glass.
"There are times when I like where a play isn't run for me, because I know I'm definitely getting a rebound this play," Kaufman-Renn said. "Hopefully, we make the shot, but I can just focus on it."
Thanks to Kaufman-Renn's pursuit of the glass, Purdue's 40.4 rebounds per game rank tied for 52nd nationally. The 13.5 offensive boards per game are tied for 50th. The Boilermakers also have a plus-11.4-rebound differential this season, ranking 13th in the country.
He may only be averaging four more rebounds per game from last season, but it's made a huge difference for the Boilers this season.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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