A few years ago Indiana came into Purdue’s back yard and pluck Rob Phinisee out of Lafayette.
Consider us even.
In one of the more shocking developments on the recruiting front Purdue went into southern Indiana and snagged a top 40 national recruit in getting Trey Kaufman out of Silver Creek HS near Louisville.
Let’s look at the numbers; He is No. 31 nationally per 247, No. 32 according to Rivals, and No. 72 according to ESPN. He is rated slightly ahead of Purdue commit Caleb Furst (No. 45 on 347, No. 38 on Rivals). It is the first time Coach Painter has landed a pair of top 50 recruits in one recruiting cycle since JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore.
His run at Silver Creek has been very impressive so far. As a sophomore in 2019 he led Silver Creek to the Class 3A state championship by averaging 15.1 points, 9 rebounds, and shooting 40% from three. He scored only four points in the title game, but he had 12 rebounds and six assists with a solid all-around game. This was a 52-49 win over Culver Academy featuring Ethan Brittain-Watts (currently playing for Boston University), Trey Galloway (now at IU), and Deontae Craig (a 4-star defensive end that ended up at Iowa). His team went 25-3, With the three losses coming by 15 points.
Last season Silver Creek was 25-2, ranked No. 1, and had won their sectional before the IHSAA state tournament was shut down. This included a 78-74 win on December 14 against Furst. Even as a freshman in 2018 his team was 20-6 with a sectional title. His teammate, Kooper Jacobi, has committed to play at Toledo.
Simply put: Purdue got the two best forwards in the state of Indiana in the 2021 class and the two highest rated players in the class. Kaufman at 6’8”, 210 pounds projects more as a three with Furst at 6’8”, 215 as more of a four, but they can also be somewhat interchangeable. While he is not as highly rated as Harrison Ingram, he is still a very highly rated recruit and a huge get.
