WEST LAFAYETTE - Purdue basketball forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, true to his status as an Academic All-Big Ten philosophy major, took extra time to ponder one particular question after Monday’s practice.

A few minutes earlier, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter declared he would be “shocked” if Kaufman-Renn did not make the jump to a different All-Big Ten list — the one reserved for the conference’s best players. The Silver Creek product had worked too hard, sacrificed too much, not to seize this opportunity.

So how would Kaufman-Renn define the "opportunity” awaiting him this season?

“It means everything, to be honest with you,” Kaufman-Renn said. “I've waited so long for this. I've put in a lot of work for this, so I'm just excited.

“I don't want to waste it, for sure.”

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Kaufman-Renn alreasdy swapped hair styles, leaving behind his trademark long, braided locks for a tighter look. If things go according to plan, that won't be the only difference the Big Ten sees from him.

He started every game for last season’s national runner-up, averaging 6.4 points and four rebounds. He worked in the immense shadow of Zach Edey, but that did not stunt his growth.

Point guard Braden Smith took over "face of the program" status. Freshman 7-footer Daniel Jacobsen arrived as the heir apparent to Edey. Kaufman-Renn, though, becomes the key piece of the program’s new identity – one based on versatility and adaptability.

“TK is able to score on anybody — that gives them matchup problems defensively,” Smith said. "Oh, you’ve got to come out and guard a mobile five that can do that? And he's also a really good defender — super strong, and he's able to guard those fives off and be able to switch out and guard people like me and other good guards.

“So I'm confident with his ability. We’re excited for if we play small or if we play big.”

Kaufman-Renn admittedly did not expect to play much center when he came to Purdue as the 2021 Mr. Basketball runner-up. (Fellow Boilermaker Caleb Furst, likely occupying a similar swing role in the post, beat him out for the award.)

Physically, he would not have been up for the task immediately anyway.

“When I got here, I looked like one of those (inflatable) people that you see outside the car dealerships – just kind of loose and all over the place,” Kaufman-Renn said.

He classified his play at the five last season as “freestyle,” since it wasn’t a big practice focus due to Edey’s substantial minutes. While it may remain his secondary position, it’s also the one which could unlock the team’s full potential.

Painter likes what Kaufman-Renn could do at power forward against conventional defensive looks. He loves what Kaufman-Renn could do against bigger yet slower defenders at center.

More than that, Painter respects a man he calls a “maniacal worker” — and one who earned the trust of the staff.

“He keeps his focus right there, and he's waited a long time to be in this position,” Painter said. “If we wouldn't have had the guys that we've had, he'd have been in this position before.”

Kaufman-Renn learned patience the hard way. He spent his freshman season on redshirt after suffering a knee injury in November which required surgery. He came off the bench in all 35 games of his second season. Even as a full-time starter last season, he essentially served as the counter-punch to Edey.

Kaufman-Renn said he took one week off after the longest Boilermakers season in recent memory. Then he returned to the gym to prepare for the rising responsibilities and expectations of the season ahead.

He worked on his shooting, endeavoring to improve upon career 3-point and free throw percentages (a smidge below 30 and 50%, respectively). He’ll be needed for more than 17 minutes per night, so he worked on running the floor. He’ll be asked to defend a wider variety of opponents, so he worked on his lateral movement.

"Last year, I really prepared for basic things,” Kaufman-Renn said. “I had to do the little things really well. That was my role.

“But this year, this is the first time I feel like I'm in college where all the work that I put in when I was in high school, and then growing up — you're really gonna get to see my full game this year.”

That full game will have a lot to say about what a complete Purdue performance looks like.

Follow IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball: Trey Kaufman-Renn steps out of Zach Edey's shadow