No matter what level he's played at, one thing Trey Kaufman-Renn has always aspired to be has been a matchup problem — too skilled for bigger opponents and too big and powerful for smaller ones.

That element of the redshirt freshman's basketball identity may make a difference for the Boilermakers sooner rather than later as he joins the playing rotation this season.

As Purdue looks to rebuild its scoring infrastructure around center Zach Edey, Kaufman-Renn could be a piece coaches really work to feature at the offensive end. He looked worthy of such prominence this summer, as he stood out during short-handed Purdue's practices.

"He's going to be hard to deal with," assistant coach Brandon Brantley said, "no matter who's guarding him."