Purdue Guard Braden Smith Describes What Record-Breaking Assist Might Look Like
In this story:
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As Braden Smith enters his final season in West Lafayette, he's just 319 assists away from breaking the NCAA record set by Duke's Bobby Hurley at 1,076. It's not much fun to ask the star point guard if he will break the record, so why not ask how he plans to set a new mark?
Joining the Big Ten Network's B1G Tailgate show, Smith was asked what he planned to do for his record-breaking assist. Obviously, he hasn't given it too much thought, but he provided an honest response to the question, saying the ball will probably find its way to Trey Kaufman-Renn.
"Probably throwing it to Trey, to be honest," Smith said. "Obviously, he's been a huge part of all this, and a lot of the guys here. It really just depends, obviously."
Kaufman-Renn, who was also interviewed by the B1G Tailgate crew, has a particular shot in mind if he has the opportunity to get Smith's 319th assist of the season.
"It's probably a floater, to be honest," Kaufman-Renn said. "I've been working on my floater from the three-point line. Hopefully, I can break that out."
That would be quite the record-breaking shot, wouldn't it?
Last season, Smith dished out 313 assists and became Purdue's all-time leader in the category, breaking a record set by Bruce Parkinson.
As much as people talk about Smith's chance to set a new NCAA record by the time the 2025-26 campaign concludes, that's really not his focus. His goals are all team-oriented.
"Hopefully, we make it far in March," he said. "That's the goal."
Smith's connection with Kaufman-Renn
It would only be fitting if Smith's record-breaking assist came on a Kaufman-Renn basket. The duo has accounted for a lot of points.
Per Cobra Stats on X, Smith has dished out 154 assists to Kaufman-Renn. That's the second-most of any teammate Smith has played with, behind only Zach Edey. The guard dished out 155 assists to the 7-foot-4 center during their two years together.
Kaufman-Renn has scored 315 points off of those assists, compared to Edey's 311 points.
Needless to say, Kaufman-Renn will be on the receiving end of more of Smith's assists than any other player at Purdue. That's an impressive accomplishment, especially considering Edey's dominance during his last two seasons with the Boilermakers.
Smith is coming off a year in which he dished out 313 assists and averaged 8.7 dimes per game. He also averaged 15.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.
Related stories on Purdue basketball
PAINT CREW AMONG TOP STUDENT SECTIONS: Purdue's Paint Crew is one of the most intimidating student sections in college basketball. Where does it rank on the list provided by hoops expert Andy Katz? CLICK HERE
MACKEY AMONG TOP BASKETBALL VENUES: Purdue's Mackey Arena is among the top venues in college basketball. Where does it rank according to analyst Andy Katz? CLICK HERE
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.
Follow SchutteDustin