More reasons why you're obligated to root for Purdue to reach another Final Four
Not saying the Boilers do it "the right way" or that other teams do it the wrong way. Simply, Purdue's old-school ways work for them, and that's all that matters.
There are a lot of good reasons to root for Purdue to continue advancing in this NCAA Tournament, not the least of which is this one: The Boilers, who are a happy anachronism, operate, build and guide their team in an old-fashioned way that seems almost quaint in these days of the portal, NIL, tampering and the other qualities that make it the Wild West.
They redshirt. I mean, who else does that? Who else has Trey Kaufman-Renn, a stud recruit out of Silvercreek, spend an entire year working on skill development and his body? Shoot, coach Matt Painter was all prepared to red-shirt Zach Edey, until Edey began performing in pre-season camp and Painter realized the folly of sitting him for a year, much less 10 minutes.
They recruit differently. Painter, who discovered Edey, Braden Smith and so many other diamonds in the rough, recruit for fit rather than the number of stars affixed to a players’ name. They’ve had one McDonald’s All-American in Painter’s tenure: the late Caleb Swanigan. Edey was an afterthought, even in his own country of Canada. Smith was overlooked, both by IU and the rest of the Big Ten. He’s now the NCAA career leader in assists.
They’re not reliant on the portal. How long Painter can studiously avoid free agency? Impossible to answer. His retention rate among his core players is terrific, but he’s lost the likes of Myles Colvin and Cam Heide in recent years. All things being equal, Painter wants to rely upon high-school recruiting while filling in the gaps with someone like Oscar Cluff who helps significantly in the rebounding area.
Over time, it’s likely Painter will have to change with the times, rely more heavily on the portal, but that time isn’t now. The beauty of Purdue is the continuity, with this group being led by the three noble seniors, Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer and Smith. All three could have transferred and chased more money elsewhere; Smith, in particular, could have named his number. All three stayed their entire college career, which is yet another reason to cheer for this outfit. While IU is currently in a spot where they have to rebuild top-to-bottom every year, Purdue is a self-sustaining model for college basketball as it used to be.
If you’re a fan, don’t you feel more of a connection with the Boilers than you do these other teams who rely upon mercenaries who come in for a season, then pursue the paycheck again the next season? With Kaufman-Renn and Loyer and Smith, we’ve seen these guys grow into men – we learned Smith can, in fact, grow one heck of a beard – but we’ve seen their ups and their downs and their journeys to this moment, and the connection between them and their fans is undeniable and strong.
“You may get more money (elsewhere in college basketball), but what’s the dollar amount on the relationships that I’ve built?” Kaufman-Renn said earlier in the NCAA Tournament. “What’s the dollar amount on the values I’ve learned?”
