Matt Painter celebrates Purdue seniors for setting the standard for future Boilermakers after March Madness loss

Purdue entered March Madness as a two-seed in the West Region. After making a run to the Elite Eight, they would face Arizona in the Final Four but fall 79-64.

After the loss, head coach Matt Painer spoke about his team. He also reflected after the game on his three seniors, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn, who are all moving on from their college days, according to Dustin Schutte of Sports Illustrated.

“Really proud of these three guys sitting right here and everything they’ve done for our program. Really set a standard of how to go about their business,” Painter said after the loss. “It’s going to be hard to emulate that. In today’s game, having three guys come and stick it out and fight through adversity and keep making our program better.”

“They got the most wins in school history. They got the most tournament wins in school history. They got two Big Ten Championships. They got two Big Ten Tournament titles. You know, they showed up every day and worked. That’s what you want.”

All three players have made a massive impact on the team. Smith was a four-year starter for the Boilermakers and recently became the all-time assists leader in NCAA history. Loyer is also a four-year starter with the team and made 309 career three-pointers, a school record. Meanwhile, Kaufman-Renn has played each of the last four years and started the last three. He scored over 1,600 points and was selected as an All-American.

While all three players put up amazing stats, Painter was more impressed by the attitude of the players.

“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,” he said. “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.”

Now, Painter will be looking for his next group of seniors to continue the tradition. Purdue has been in the tournament every year it has been held since 2015, while making seven runs to the Sweet 16.

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