The Definitive Hoops 2025-26 Prospectus 2.0—The Roster

After a busy week that almost certainly saw Purdue’s 2025 roster finalized, we can safely break down what this next Boilermaker men’s basketball team should look like.

Hence, Version 2.0 of our prospectus, looking at the roster in Year 1 of 15-man roster limits.

More: Prospectus 1.0

SENIOR BRADEN SMITH

Purdue has the best point guard, maybe the best player, period, in college basketball again. He has an upgraded, more complete, more experienced team around him. He’s shown he can play 40 minutes every game, but does he have to now?

SENIOR FLETCHER LOYER

Arguably the Big Ten’s, maybe the country’s, pre-eminent three-point shooter, Loyer’s steadiness is such a key piece of Purdue’s equilibrium and his skill such a critical cog to what should be a great offense.

SENIOR TREY KAUFMAN-RENN

Another Boilermaker worthy of lofty superlatives, Kaufman-Renn might be the top returning front-line scorer in the game. He’d be preseason player-of-the-year in the Big Ten if not for his teammate, Smith, and should be the odds-on favorite to lead the Big Ten in scoring this year after just barely missing this season.

SENIOR OSCAR CLUFF

The coveted transfer addition hits for Purdue right where it hurt this season, providing the Boilermakers the functional size and defensive rebounding presence it so painfully lacked all year. For Purdue, he can loom large in turning weakness into strength.

SENIOR LIAM MURPHY

Purdue’s final piece, the veteran 4 man has a rep as a knock-down shooter and floor-spacer at the 4 position, where Purdue won’t need big minutes, but will want those minutes to be good ones. Purdue is excellent at generating threes for its 4 men, so when Murphy comes in for TKR, maybe there’s a different look there. But energy and rebounding are going to matter too.

SENIOR SAM KING

The valued walk-on will be a priority scout-team keeper for the program.

JUNIOR JACK LUSK

After joining the team last season essentially as a practice player, assistant coach Paul Lusk’s son figures to stick around. He began his career at Division III Millikin University.

SOPHOMORE GICARRI HARRIS

Purdue has no scholarship juniors but its two freshman guards from this past season are ostensibly upperclassmen now after playing so much as rookies. The Year 2 jump in college basketball is real, and Harris could be primed. He shot 40 percent from three in Big Ten play, has immense potential defensively and burgeoning leadership capabilities. The Boilermakers don’t have a ton of size or athleticism on the wing but Harris is going to be a very good player.

SOPHOMORE CJ COX

Cox was a gift from the basketball gods as a freshman, a starter most of the season who shot the ball very well, gave Purdue some shot creation punch, impacted games defensively and energized his team on more than one occasion. Modest improvement with experience alone will keep him on an upward trajectory en route to him and Harris taking leading roles as juniors.

SOPHOMORE RALEIGH BURGESS

Purdue didn’t redshirt Burgess this season in part because the hope was experience right away could prime him to be ready for prime time as a sophomore. Circumstance had other ideas, as a stress reaction in his shin capped his opportunities in February and March. He could play, but just didn’t and wouldn’t have been himself had he gotten more chances. Now, time is back on Burgess’ side. They don’t have to rush him to the floor as was the case last season. Right now, getting him healthy is the most important thing.

REDSHIRT FRESHMAN DANIEL JACOBSEN

After breaking his leg just minutes into Game 2, Jacobsen’s freshman season was a wash, but now the silver lining may show up. His forced redshirt year could end up being a very positive thing in the big picture, as he needed size and strength badly. Now healthy, Jacobsen is still a work in progress physically, but much better off now than he was. It’s only a matter of time before he’s an elite shot-blocker, an impactful rebounder and a meaningful contributor as an inside-out scorer. The combination of him and Cluff turns weakness on the interior into strength, but Jacobsen is still essentially a freshman, so patience is still in order.

REDSHIRT FRESHMAN JACK BENTER

Purdue’s next consummate skill guy, the redshirt freshman might be a big-time shooter, but also a very good passer, capable ball-handler and low-maintenance and high-IQ offensive piece capable of playing multiple positions, maybe even as a four-out 4 man if ever needed.

REDSHIRT FRESHMAN AARON FINE

Last year’s PWO addition redshirted in order to max out his time at Purdue. He’s good enough to play at low- or even mid-major programs, but seems committed to being at Purdue, which covets having the best scout teams it can get.

FRESHMAN OMER MAYER

Purdue’s highly regarded spring addition comes from a pro background in Israel, a first-of-its-kind sort of deal for the Boilermaker program, but a big one. Mayer gives Purdue a true backup point guard now and Smith’s successor thereafter. He takes ball-handling burdens off Cox and Harris, and what’s to say he can’t play with Smith? Purdue did move Smith off the ball a lot last season and he showed how dangerous he can be in that realm. Further, Mayer’s ball-screen savvy may give Purdue the luxury of actually taking Smith out every now and then and still being able to do the same stuff on offense.

FRESHMAN ANTIONE WEST

Purdue’s lone early signee of this recruiting year, West is a combo guard and backcourt scorer who under a lot of circumstances over the years would have maybe stepped into a prominent role. On this team, time is his ally.