“I'll go into the portal when I have to”- Matt Painter bucks the trend as Purdue's championship hopes rest on high school recruits, not transfers

Matt Painter is doing something completely different from what the teams around the college circuit investing time and money in. Coaches across the league have added significant pieces from the portal, be it role players or star power. However, the Purdue Boilermakers' 2024-25 roster features no transfer portal addition.

In the last four years, Purdue has only recruited two players from the portal. However, Matt Painter realizes he can't shy away from the portal and will have to use it eventually.

“I'll go into the portal when I have to,” Painter said during the Big Ten media day. "I don't think it'll be my decision. We've taken two guys out of the portal in four years. I do not think we can continue at that clip. From a numbers standpoint, trying to keep 13 guys happy is really hard.”

When you are a team that matches pound-to-pound with the national champs, you've got to be doing something right. Purdue is doing that by allowing their players to redshirt with the program.

This allows players to shadow the team, improve their overall skillset, and become better at the role demanded of them. In a way, it also helps build culture and chemistry within a program, something that the majority of Division I teams have been working towards this summer.

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NCAA title is not Matt Painter's only objective

Alongside Zach Edey’s NBA transition, Ethan Morton and Mason Gillis entered the portal this offseason. However, the Boilermakers are determined to make another promising run this season.

However, before they finally taste lifting the NCAA title, Matt Painter is eyeing something he has achieved for the last two seasons; the Big Ten championship.

"We're trying to win three Big Ten championships in a row. Just keep that carrot in front of us," Painter said during a media day interview. "We have three starters back from a Final Four team. We have five freshmen. We have a lot of guys with experience outside those starters.”

“Just blending in those five freshmen more than anything—understanding what we do and how we do it will take a little bit of time."

Purdue sees Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer returning to the backcourt and Trey Kaufman-Renn in the paint.

Alongside a top-20 2024 recruiting class, role players Myles Colvin, Caleb Furst, and Camden Heide will continue bringing significant production for the Boilermakers.