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Purdue Senior Trio Finish Atop Boilermaker Record Book
In addition to helping Purdue end a 44-year Final Four drought during their careers, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn depart as the highest scoring senior trio in Boilermaker men’s basketball history.
Smith (1,932 points), Loyer (1,829) and Kaufman-Renn (1,655) combined for 5,416 points to finish eighth, 11th and 19th on the Purdue career scoring list respectively.
“They’ve been magnificent,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said following the trio’s final game against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. “Those guys have sacrificed a lot. They’ve put in a lot of time. Each year they always tried to do a little bit more. ‘What can I do to help? What can I do?’
“We’re very fortunate that these guys stayed loyal and stuck with it.”
The trio easily surpassed the iconic “Three Amigos” – Troy Lewis, Todd Mitchell and Everette Stephens. They combined for 4,781 points, with Lewis ranking sixth all-time at 2,038. Mitchell is 16th at 1,699. Stephens didn’t play as much as Lewis and Mitchell as a freshman and sophomore, coming in 53rd all-time at 1,044.
Next up is the trio that almost led Purdue to the Final Four in 2000. The late Jaraan Cornell, Brian Cardinal and Mike Robinson combined for 4,501 points. Cornell totaled 1,595 points, barely outpacing Cardinal’s 1,584. Cornell is 22nd on the Purdue career scoring list; Cardinal is 24th. Robinson’s 1,322 points put him 33rd.
Coming in fourth is a class of 2018 trio who played key roles in lifting Purdue out of the Big Ten basement and beginning the momentum the program currently enjoys.
Vincent Edwards resides at No. 20 on the career scoring list with 1,638 points. Not far behind is 7-2 center Isaac Haas in 25th at 1,555. Dakota Mathias’ 1,140 points gives the trio a combined total of 4,333.
Almost 50 years earlier, another trio of Indiana high school standouts were prolific scorers for coach Fred Schaus.
Walter Jordan’s 1,813 points kept him in Purdue’s Top 10 all-time scorers from 1978 to 2026. Fellow Fort Wayne native Eugene Parker contributed 1,430, still good for 29th place after all these years. Jeffersonville’s Wayne Walls – the fifth scoring option in the 1978 starting lineup that also featured future NBA players Joe Barry Carroll and Jerry Sichting – scored 1,030 points to give the trio a total of 4,273.
Had fate not intervened, the trio of E’Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson and Robbie Hummel would have taken top honors. Moore is fourth all-time with 2,136 points, Johnson 10th with 1,919 and Hummel 13th with 1,772 for a combined total of 5,827 points.
But two ACL injuries removed Hummel from his original class.
Next in line?
To the surprise of absolutely no one who follows Indiana high school basketball, Purdue recruit Luke Ertel won Mr. Basketball honors from The Indianapolis Star.
Ertel ran away with the vote after leading Mt. Vernon to the Class 4A state championship. The guard earned 207 of the 230 votes from the state’s coaches and media. Ertel averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists while shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range.
He is the fourth Indiana Mr. Basketball signed by Matt Painter and the third recipient in the past six years. Caleb Furst won in 2021, followed by Braden Smith in 2022. The late Caleb Swanigan received the honor in 2015.
Other Boilermakers to claim Indiana Mr. Basketball are Joe Sexson, Wilson Eison, Dennis Brady of Lafayette Jeff, Billy Keller, Rick Mount, Kyle Macy, Dan Palombizio, Troy Lewis, Woody Austin and Glenn Robinson.
Ertel was spectacular in his final two high school games. He recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a state finals-clinching win over New Albany. In the 52-50 victory over Crown Point in the 4A title game, Ertel put up 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
While it is asking too much for Ertel to have the immediate impact Braden Smith had as a freshman, do not be surprised if he earns a spot in what could be a deep guard rotation that includes presumptive point guard Omer Mayer, two-year starter C.J. Cox, top reserve Gicarri Harris and redshirt freshman Antoine West.
Staff shakeup
One of Purdue’s all-time defensive greats is joining Matt Painter’s coaching staff for the 2026-27 season.
Kenneth Lowe, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year winner, is replacing Terry Johnson on the staff. Johnson is pursuing other professional opportunities according to a statement released by Purdue Athletics.
If Lowe’s coaching skills and intensity match those traits during his playing days, expect improvement in an area that sometimes was deficient this past season.
Lowe comes to Purdue after four seasons as an assistant coach at St. Thomas University in Minnesota. The Tommies went 24-10 last season with the Summit League’s second-ranked defense behind champion North Dakota State. Lowe also spent five seasons on staff at Miami, Ohio.
“He has shown an understanding and commitment to coaching at the defensive end and to maximizing player development and improvement,” Painter said in a statement.
Another possibly significant move is the promotion of P.J. Thompson to associate head coach. It is not far-fetched to think Thompson could be the 55-year-old Painter’s successor whenever that day comes.
The former Purdue point guard is the unofficial offensive coordinator, coaching the nation’s fourth, seventh and top-ranked offenses during the past three seasons. He also plays a key role in recruiting and scouting.
“P.J. is one of the brightest young coaches in all of college,” Painter said. “He has helped transform our offense into the best offense in the country and he has made a major impact in our recruiting efforts. We are excited that he will continue to gain valuable experience here at Purdue and be a fixture in our program for the foreseeable future.”
Two more former Boilermakers are joining the coaching staff as graduate assistants for a two-year term.
Lance Jones parlayed his only season at Purdue into a starting guard role and major contributor to the 2024 run to the NCAA championship game. He returns to West Lafayette after playing professionally in Spain and Mexico the past two years.
Sterling Carter is 12 seasons removed from his lone year as a Boilermaker. Before a torn ACL ended his season in February 2014, Carter starred in an 82-64 victory against Indiana. Carter was 5 of 6 from 3-point range and finished with 19 points.
After playing professionally in Germany, Carter has been a high school and AAU coach for several years.
Making it official
Committed to Purdue for months, 6-7 forward Caden Pierce made it official recently by signing his transfer paperwork.
The Princeton graduate was the 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year after averaging 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Injuries plagued Pierce during his junior season. He sat out the 2025-26 season to obtain his degree and retain a year of eligibility.
Pierce signed with Purdue after visiting Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville and Connecticut. He comes from an athletic family, most notably older brother Alec, a standout wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. Their parents, Greg and Stephanie, played football and volleyball respectively at Northwestern.
It’s a strong probability that Caden Pierce will step into the forward role left vacant by Trey Kaufman-Renn’s graduation.
Kenny Thompson is the former sports editor for the Lafayette Journal & Courier and an award-winning journalist. He has covered Purdue athletics for many years.
