A few years ago, Indiana came to Purdue’s backyard and snatched Rob Vincci from Lafayette.
We even considered.
In one of the most shocking developments on the recruitment front, Purdue went to southern Indiana and found the Top 40 National Recruits in Trey Kaufman’s exit from Silver Creek HS near Louisville.
Let’s look at the numbers. It is No. 31 nationally per 247, No. 32 according to Rivals, and No. 72 according to ESPN. Rated just ahead of Purdue Committing Caleb Furst (# 45 in 347, # 38 in Rivals). It’s the first time Coach Painter has joined two of the top 50 recruits in a single recruitment cycle since JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore.
His Silver Creek career has been very influential so far. As a sophomore in 2019, he led Silver Creek to the 3A state championship with an average of 15.1 points, 9 rebounds and 40% shootings out of three. He scored only four points in the title match, but got 12 rebounds and six assists in a tough all-round match. That was a 52-49 win over Culver Academy that included Ethan Britten Watts (currently playing at Boston University), Trey Galloway (now at IU), and Dontai Craig (a 4-star defensive ending that ended in Iowa). His team went 25-3, with the three losses coming 15 points ahead.
Last season, Silver Creek was 25-2, winning first in their group before the IHSAA State Championship closed. This included a 78-74 win on December 14 against Forrest. Even as a freshman in 2018, his team was 6-20 years old with a sectional title. His teammate, Cooper Jacoby, committed to playing in Toledo.
Simply put: Purdue has two of the highest-rated strikers in Indiana in the 2021 category and two of the highest-rated players in that category. Kaufman at 6’8 “, 210 pounds more as three projects with Furst at 6’8”, 215 more than four, but it can also be somewhat interchangeable. Although not as highly rated as Harrison Ingram, he is still a highly rated recruiter and a big winner.
