'More Mature' Antione West Jr. Talks Decision to Redshirt at Purdue
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Agreeing to spend an entire season on the sideline isn't an easy decision to reach. But Purdue freshman guard Antione West Jr. believes using a redshirt year during the 2025-26 campaign is the best option, both for himself and the program.
When Purdue's regular season tipped off in early November, it was unclear if West would join sophomore Raleigh Burgess as a redshirt player this year. Now that the college basketball season is in full swing, the freshman has decided it's his best path forward.
"Looking at the future, looking at it from a more mature standpoint — they've seen redshirting being effective for guys," West told Nathan Baird of The Indianapolis Star in a video posted Tuesday. "Honestly, just trusting them and trusting that I'll be able to stay focused and keep getting better every day, knowing who I am and knowing what I'll be able to do in the future."
Current Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn is a prime example of the success Matt Painter has had with redshirting a player. The Sellersberg, Ind., native utilized a redshirt year as a true freshman and is now an All-Big Ten player and could be a first-team All-American at the end of the season.
Obviously, there's a lot of work for West to do to achieve that level of success, but he continues to put in work. When his number is called during the 2026-27 season, he wants to be the best version of himself.
"Doing everything I can to get better every day. Working with the nutritionist, our weight trainer, and obviously all of the coaches," West said. "We get film in all the time, workouts, and all that stuff. Just getting stronger, getting better, and then giving them the best look I can on the scout team."
West still making a difference this year
Just because West won't play in any games during the 2025-26 season doesn't mean he can't find ways to help this year's team pursue its goals. The Boilermakers are hoping to win a Big Ten title and make another Final Four run.
With his 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame, West uses his pressure defense and dynamic scoring ability to give Purdue great looks on both ends of the court during practice.
"Offensively and defensively, just giving them a good look and still taking it seriously," West said. "Knowing what I'm doing on that scout team is still going to help the team."
West's contributions may not show up in any box scores this year, but having that level of competitiveness in practice is something that benefits Purdue. If the Boilermakers make another deep NCAA Tournament run this year, there's no question the freshman will be a big piece to that success.
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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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