Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith chose Purdue for all the traditional reasons.
They wanted to become part of the school's proud basketball fraternity. They wanted their names linked together in program history. They wanted to earn degrees from a respected academic school, and, yes, just maybe, they could be the seniors to finally hang an NCAA championship banner in Mackey Arena.
Now as this trio embarks on its March Madness farewell
tour, it has become the face of something else — an old-school group of players more committed to finishing what they started than cashing in someplace else.
“You're right, you may get more money (at another school), but what's the dollar amount on the relationships I've built?” Kaufman-Renn said recently. “What's the dollar amount on the values I've learned? For me, it's an easy, easy thing (to stay). It's more of a value thing at this point and you hope the younger guys and their parents are teaching them the right thing.”
What these three have shown over the last four seasons is how to put team ahead of personal aspirations.
Together, they've appeared in 143 games, started 108 and while the rest of the basketball world focuses on Smith needing two assists to break Bobby Hurley's Division I career record Friday against Queens in St. Louis, this group is more concerned about advancing to Round 2 with win No. 115 and tying the school's career record.
“We’re not done yet," Smith said.
By sticking around longer than most players in today's game, Kaufman-Renn, Loyer and Smith have seen and done things that seem increasingly unfathomable:
— They made top five rankings the norm, even claiming the No. 1 spot in this season's Associated Press preseason poll for the first time.
— They won back-to-back Big Ten regular-season outright titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24 before rallying to add the league's tourney title last weekend.
— And one year after becoming the second No. 1 seed in tourney history to lose to a No. 16 seed, Fairleigh Dickinson, they ended Purdue's 44-year Final Four drought by reaching the NCAA title game. Last year, they even came within one possession of returning to the Elite Eight despite losing two-time national player of the year Zach Edey to the NBA.
Now, Kaufman-Renn, Loyer and Smith dream about finishing their careers on college basketball's biggest stage in Indianapolis, just a short drive from their campus and their Indiana hometowns.
“It’s March, it’s what you work for growing up. It’s what you work for all offseason," Loyer said. “Obviously, you want to build that resume in the regular season, but now it’s time to really go."
Individually, these three have seen their careers accelerate at Purdue.
Smith earned All-American honors each of the past two seasons and was named last year's Big Ten Player of the Year. Last weekend, he added the 2026 conference tourney MVP title, too, after ripping his jersey during the title game and ditching his familiar No. 3 shirt for No. 41.
Yet Smith readily admits he wouldn’t be here without Kaufman-Renn, Loyer or the many other teammates who helped make him look even better than he thought he was.
How good has Smith been?
“I can’t think of a more deserving guy or a better guy to pass the torch to than you,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said after Smith broke Cassius Winston's conference record for career assists. "I have been a big Purdue fan my whole life with coach (Gene) Keady, with coach (Matt) Painter and I want to thank you for the way you’ve handled yourself and represented the Big Ten. Congratulations once again, well deserved."
Loyer and Smith seemed to be joined at the hip from the moment they arrived on campus, starting all 145 games in the backcourt since arriving in 2022-23.
And as Smith made his impact running Purdue's offense, Loyer delivered with his shooting prowess. He broke Carsen Edwards' school record for career 3-pointers (281) and opens tourney play with 295.
While Loyer sometimes has been overshadowed by his higher-profile teammates, insiders know his ability to stretch defenses could dictate whether Purdue makes a deep tourney run or an early exit. The good news — he's playing well now, making 26 of 54 (48.1%) from beyond the arc over the past seven games. The bad news — Purdue understands those numbers won't matter in the postseason.
“Obviously, we've been through it for three years now, going on four, being in the tournament environment and understanding everything changes,” Smith said. “It's a different feel, it's a totally different approach, totally different motivation, totally different everything."
But unlike Loyer and Smith, Kaufman-Renn's journey took some detours. After winning the state title in 2021, he redshirted as a freshman because of hand and ankle injuries. Then he had to beat out Caleb Furst for the starting job and then he finally had to get acclimated to playing alongside Edey.
It wasn't always easy though Kaufman-Renn said he never seriously contemplated transferring to the highest bidder. His reward came last season when he emerged as one of college basketball's most elite post players, a title he still holds in spite of a painful shoulder injury.
Now, as this trio's improbable journey nears its end, there's one unfinished item on the long to do-list they came to school with and one new mission to complete — showing future Boilermakers that sticking around and working as a team comes with more lasting rewards than fame or fortune.
“I assume for Purdue, it's never really going to change because that's the type of people coach Painter gets,” Smith said. “That's the reason I wanted to come back and the reason I chose this place in the first place. I don't think you have a culture really like this (anywhere else) and I think that's what makes it really special, so, yeah, I think, other than us, you're probably not going to see it (a group staying together for four years) a whole lot.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
