WATCH: Big Ten Network Runs Feature on Trey Kaufman-Renn's Rise at Purdue
Trey Kaufman-Renn has had quite a journey during his first four seasons at Purdue. Now, given his recent success in West Lafayette, Big Ten Network featured the redshirt junior forward in a recent episode of The Journey.
On Monday, Big Ten Network shared a snippet of the feature, which discusses Kaufman-Renn's rise from a redshirt freshman during the 2021-22 season to the Boilermakers' leading scorer this year.
Interestingly, the story featured Kaufman-Renn having to learn to play beside — and at times behind — two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey. And while that's not always the most fun thing for an All-Big Ten-caliber player, Kaufman-Renn stayed the course.
He credits his coach, Matt Painter, for recruiting style for that.
"Did I consider the transfer portal? I think every athlete, especially in these days, at least considers it," Kaufman-Renn said. "But I don't think it was ever a serious option for me.
"The way Coach Paint recruits is he recruits guys who value team success, value team winning. That's why we've been so successful."
Trey Kaufman-Renn waited his turn, and it's paying off.@BTNJourney profiles the @BoilerBall junior's rise to stardom 👇#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/qrf3ueILiC
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 20, 2025
Painter, who often says he's doing "what's best for Purdue," said that Kaufman-Renn understood his role early in his career in West Lafayette. He also believes that the talented forward could see that, with a lot of hard work, his time to shine was coming.
"I think he understands the big picture of that, but at the end of the day, the patience was there because there was light at the end of the tunnel," Painter said.
Through Purdue's first 19 games, Kaufman-Renn is the team's top scorer and rebounder, averaging 17.9 points and 6.5 boards per game. He's also dishing out 2.5 assists per contest.
Kaufman-Renn has already been named Big Ten Player of the Week twice and earned his first Naismith Men's College Player of the Week honor on Jan. 20.
To say patience paid off for Kaufman-Renn would be an understatement.
"I understood I was going to have to wait my turn, but I knew I was talented enough. I think, for me, it was making sure my identity during solely lie in basketball," Kaufman-Renn said. "This past summer, that's what I spent a lot of time with. What are my values? What really matters in life?"
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