Sometimes players talk a good game about their enthusiasm toward redshirting while struggling to hide their natural disappointment in being shelved for a whole season.

Trey Kaufman-Renn, though, had a hard time on Tuesday hiding his enthusiasm toward his new reality, not that he had reason to.

"I'm the type of person who likes to plan," he said. "I can just see how much better I'm going to get by the time next year rolls around."

These decisions — at least at Purdue — are almost always made right before a season tips off. Matt Painter said he wants players focused on putting their best foot forward above all else, so he holds off on those conversations until absolutely necessary.

For Kaufman-Renn, that meant right before the Boilermakers' season opener vs. Bellarmine on Tuesday night. Coach and player had spoken after the Providence scrimmage at the end of October about Kaufman-Renn's progress, as well.

"It was just figuring out what role you want to have, whether that's this year or next year," Kaufman-Renn said. "I don't really have an ego about redshirting or anything like that. I get to have the opportunity to spend a whole year to get to know some of the guys who'll come back next year, but also the schemes and the plays. I can continue to work on my strengths, but also focus in on some of the weaknesses that I have."

Painter said this was a "50/50 deal," one with little certainty because a wide range of outcomes were possible had Kaufman-Renn played out this season.

He might have seen minimal minutes at a position shared by classmate Caleb Furst and soon to welcome back returning starter Mason Gillis from suspension.

Or, Painter said, Kaufman-Renn might have emerged into a critical player now and made Purdue's existing balancing act for minutes that much dicier.

Kaufman-Renn, though, admits that defensively, there's been a process at play for him.

And being that he's viewed as a scorer, his biggest asset might have been one Purdue couldn't have applied much this season anyway. With centers Zach Edey and Trevion Williams and guard Jaden Ivey all carrying tremendous gravity in Purdue's offensive structure, the likelihood of offense running through Kaufman-Renn at any point this season — at least in meaningful minutes — was probably remote.

"I think my role next year on the team would be bigger and I'll be able to give my best effort," he said.

Kaufman-Renn seems to relish the opportunity to focus almost solely on his development, a path that has put him on an upward trajectory since around the time the pandemic started. He came out of quarantine a different player than he went in, due in part to the physical gains he made while there was little else for him to do.

He's worked on his body, trying to become faster, quicker and more athletic as he hopes to transition into being more of a wing-capable player over time.

For the time being, though, his first experiences with college basketball have punctuated a few other areas of need.

"I think my strength is really scoring the basketball, so just continuing to work on that and being able to hit open shots," Kaufman-Renn said. "My biggest goal for next year is to be able to be a lock-down defender. That's something that every day I'm putting work into."

Kaufman-Renn spoke in-depth to Purdue's coaches about redshirting, and most importantly, to his uncle, Matt Renn, who starred at Indiana State from 1997-2001. Matt Renn told his nephew that he wished he'd gotten the chance to redshirt in college. (It didn't stop him from scoring 1,347 points in college.)

"I plan on being a lot better next year," Kaufman-Renn said, "to say the least."

That said, this season to come will bring challenges, as it did for those teammates who redshirted as well: Mason Gillis, Brandon Newman and Sasha Stefanovic. Kaufman-Renn will be inactive for what Purdue hopes will be one of its most eventful seasons ever.

"It was really hard to say, 'I'm not going to be there to support you guys with the big goals they have this year.' Anything I can do, whether it's bringing people water, giving a high-five, whatever I can do to help this team win."

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