Painter Signs Impressive Duo for Class of 2021
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue head coach Matt Painter has announced that a pair of highly-regarded prospects have signed their national letters of intent and will join the Boilermakers for the 2021-22 season.
Forwards Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn have submitted their paperwork and are officially members of the Purdue Basketball program.
“Obviously both of these guys are really good players and are really good people,” head coach Matt Painter said. “Both of these guys really fit in well with what we look for here at Purdue. They are blue-collar, hard-working, tough, unselfish winners that have won a lot of games at their level. They have a lot of winning traits to them.
“Obviously, it’s important to recruit your state and start there, but it’s more important to get the right fit, wherever they may be from. Both of these guys are elite students, elite people from great families and elite players. They are the complete package. That’s what you want in your program wherever they may be from,” Painter added.
According to 247Sports.com, Purdue’s two-person class ranks as the 31st-best class in America. However, with only two scholarships available, Purdue’s individual average ranking (98.49) is fifth nationally behind just Duke, Kentucky, Stanford and UCLA.
In addition, Purdue is one of nine schools nationally (Duke, Stanford, Baylor, Oregon, UCLA, Kentucky, Florida State, Michigan State) to have signed two top-40 players to its class.
Since 2017, Purdue has had nine four-star prospects commit to its program.
CALEB FURST / FORWARD / 6-10 / 225 / FORT WAYNE, INDIANA / BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN
- A top-40 recruit from Blackhawk Christian High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Furst will be a favorite for Indiana’s Mr. Basketball. Furst committed to Purdue on March 2, 2020.
- Ranks No. 30 nationally by ESPN.com, No. 34 by 247Sports and No. 38 by Rivals.
- Is the fourth-highest ranked recruit in the Big Ten Conference, and the third-highest ranked recruit of the Painter era.
- A smooth, left-handed player, Furst plays with a high motor and energy and has excellent movement, toughness and touch for his size. Can run the floor very well and will be able to play both the four and the five.
- Led Blackhawk Christian to the 2019 Indiana Class A Championship and was a favorite to win the 2020 title before the season was cut short.
- As a junior, Furst averaged 22.1 points, 13.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
- During his sophomore campaign, Furst averaged 18.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, while shooting over 64 percent from the field.
- Chose Purdue over offers from Michigan State, Virginia, Indiana, Ohio State and many others.
WHAT PAINTER SAID: “He has good athleticism and a great feel for the game. He comes from a successful high school program that has a winning tradition. He can run the floor and can play as a four or a five and is very versatile for a guy his size (6-10, 225). He moves really well for someone that big and really plays hard all the time. He is a winner and is going to do what it takes to win. Looking forward to working with him and winning a lot of basketball games.”
TREY KAUFMAN-RENN / FORWARD / 6-9 / 210 / SELLERSBURG, INDIANA / SILVER CREEK
- A top-40 recruit from Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg, Indiana, Kaufman will also be a favorite Indiana’s Mr. Basketball. Kaufman committed to Purdue on Oct. 30, 2020.
- Ranks No. 32 nationally by Rivals, No. 40 nationally by 247Sports.com and No. 72 by ESPN.
- Is the fifth-highest ranked recruit in the Big Ten Conference, and the fourth-highest ranked recruit of the Painter era.
- A developing wing player, Kaufman has worked relentlessly to expand his game and has grown into his body, making him one of the most-versatile recruits in the country.
- Is the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana.
- As a sophomore, Kaufman led Silver Creek to the Class 3A State Championship by averaging 15.1 points and 9.1 rebounds while shooting over 40 percent from long range.
- The past season, Silver Creek was 25-2 and ranked No. 1 in the state before CoVid-19 ended the season. He averaged 25.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game as a junior.
- Chose Purdue over offers from Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Louisville and others.
WHAT PAINTER SAID: “Trey has a lot of same qualities as Caleb and as a teammate. He works very hard, is very diligent and versatile in two positions as a three and as a four. He has really worked on perimeter game and lateral movement which allows him to play on perimeter, and use his size for mismatches when guarded by smaller players. Both of these guys fit in really well here at Purdue in terms of being blue-collar, hard-working, tough, unselfish and proven winners. They both have a lot of winning traits to them.”