Purdue junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn was tired of losing. After the Boilermakers dropped a fourth straight game on Sunday, falling 73-58 to Indiana, he sent a message to the basketball team's group chat and called a players-only meeting.
A four-game losing streak isn't something that happens often in West Lafayette. In fact, the last time it happened was the 2019-20 campaign, before any of the current players were on the roster. It was an opportunity for this year's team to refocus on its goals.
"We had a team meeting two days ago — I scheduled that. A players-only meeting," Kaufman-Renn said. "We talked about, as players and as a staff we're probably the lowest we've been in a long time, needing a win as much as ever.
"At the same time, there's a lot of good things that we've seen. I talked about a lot of teams — whether it be in our league or across the country — don't have those types of meetings. A lot of teams, they lose four games and they walk into the office like it's another day. We're expected to win. I think part of it is carrying that on our shoulders and understanding that you're one of the elite programs and you have to carry yourself that way."
These players-only meetings are almost as rare as a four-game skid. Sure, players get together every now and then, but Kaufman-Renn said this week's players-only meeting was the first of its kind since his redshirt season in 2020-21.
But after losses to Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Indiana, Kaufman-Renn decided that a players-only meeting was necessary. Purdue went from first place in the Big Ten standings to out of the conference title race in a matter of two weeks.
With three games remaining on the schedule and March Madness right around the corner, the Boilermakers need to quickly get back to their winning ways.
How can Purdue do that? Kaufman-Renn said it's about instilling confidence in all of his teammates, from experienced guys like Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer to the freshmen like Gicarri Harris, CJ Cox and Raleigh Burgess.
"I haven't been a part of very many teams like that, where I can look at anybody that I'm throwing the ball to or anybody on that court and I trust. Like, I trust everybody out there," Kaufman-Renn said. "Not just to make decisions, but to make shots, to play defense, to do the little things. I've seen them be so successful."
Already, the message seems to be resonating. Kaufman-Renn said that there's been a little extra juice in practice since that meeting, creating a more encouraging and enthusiastic environment.
"I think yesterday was one of our best practices we've had in a couple months, to be honest with you," he said. "Just the energy. We're cheering for each other when we got stops. Just the entire practice, I think everybody was uplifted and ready."
Purdue has already proven it's capable of winning at a high level. The Boilermakers have (currently) ranked wins over No. 6 Alabama, No. 15 Michigan and No. 16 Maryland. They went through a 12-game stretch in which they won 11 games.
With three games remaining in the regular season before the Big Ten Tournament and March Madness, Kaufman-Renn just wanted to remind everyone that Purdue has a great group of players in the locker room.
"I'm really excited," he said. "There's so much left in this team."
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