Purdue seniors prove "you can have it all" in college basketball's landscape

SAN JOSE – As the portion of their final press conference wrapped up, Fletcher Loyer grabbed three name cards, organized the chairs, and exited the room inside the SAP Center.

It was likely the final time we’ll see Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Braden Smith together on a podium. Certainly, not at Purdue since the trio’s careers ended in the Elite Eight loss to Arizona, denying the group another trip to the Final Four.

While what transpired in the loss and why were addressed, the late-night Q-and-A with members of the media quickly became moments of reflection. This wasn’t necessarily the end of a college basketball era, but it was the close of an important and successful chapter for Matt Painter’s program. The three players remained on one campus until their eligibility expired, an outlier in today’s landscape of increasing freedom of movement.

“The standard they set for our program, it’s going to be tough to match,” Painter said.

The debate will continue over whether we’ll see another group stay together at one program for their entire careers. But for these three players, it was the primary option, and one Painter will strive to repeat in the future.

“I think being able to play for four years and develop that relationship over time, and us being able to learn and grow our games together. Again, it’s something special at this moment of college basketball to have that,” Kaufman-Renn said. “I wouldn’t change anything for that experience.”

They reflected on their tenure, what it took to show up, put in the work, and accept whatever results happened. They discussed the personal bonds and friendships created that will last a lifetime. They had each other’s backs. Not every day or moment brought joy, but through adversity, they became stronger and continued to build an unbreakable foundation.

“I think it’s just the lessons I’ve learned from obviously our freshman year where we win a Big Ten Tournament, win a Big Ten regular season, and get a (No. 1) seed and fail and lose to a (No. 16) seed. You got to experience failure,” Loyer said.

“You see these guys at their highest, and you get to see them as their lowest, and how a group of coaches and staff can overcome adversity and continue to trust guys that failed, continue to put confidence into two young kids, three young guys that don’t know where they’re at. They pushed us to continue getting better and showed us who we are.

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“Then you get a Final Four, national championship, and you’re at your highest. Then you lose that, and what are you going to do? Are you going to quit? I think just seeing a group of guys, a staff, that just continues to push through adversity and not quit on one another is just a great lesson that I’ve learned in four years.”

The lessons will sit beside the on-the-court accomplishments of Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships, advancing through the NCAA tournament, holding the No. 1 spot in the country, and leaving as the winningest class in program history.

The loss ended the run toward the preseason objective of winning the national championship, and the group inside the locker room won’t be the same next season. Saturday was probably the last time this team will be together in that type of setting, adding to the memory’s importance.

“I think it’s just being around these guys,” Smith said. “I think that’s where my mind went. I wasn’t really focusing on it. The season is over. We lost. I was just trying to enjoy that moment with guys that I’ve battled with for four years and guys for one and two years.

“There are so many moments in our four years that have been so special, and I can’t really put them all in order, but I think just for me it was to try to enjoy that with these guys one last time. Obviously, it’s a sad moment, and we don’t want it to end, but at the end of the day, you’re with a group of dudes who enjoyed being around each other.”

Painter has always showcased the three seniors at every opportunity to demonstrate what’s right with the sport and college athletics. They had success, but those accomplishments came at one program, where they became household names and developed a strong connection with the university and the community.

This is the ideal situation in Painter’s world. And these last four years prove it can happen. There’s no better example of what played out over the last four seasons. 

“That’s what you want. A lot of people look at it like, ‘It can’t keep happening,’ in today’s landscape, but these guys proved that it can,” Painter said. “All three of them will get their degrees from Purdue University, which means something. With the rules and how everything is, it’s diminishing education. It’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard in my life, because all of this is taking opportunities in education and helped our lives and helped our families.

“You can have it all. When you have the character that these guys have and the skill that these guys have, you can have it all. You can get a great education. You can treat people right. You can have a great basketball career. You can become a pro. I think these guys are great role models for young people out there to understand the big picture of things.”