When Trey Kaufman-Renn is sitting in the locker room before Purdue takes the floor for each game, he is staring at his phone. He’s not texting his buddies or doom-scrolling through social media; he’s actually watching clips of one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history to get fired up to attack the glass.
Saturday night, Kaufman-Renn scored 12 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, helping the 13th-ranked Boilermakers secure a convincing 78-57 victory over Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In his last two games, he’s pulled down 31 rebounds, providing Purdue with a major advantage on the glass.
The senior forward says he’s finding the extra motivation from seven-time NBA rebounding leader and five-time champion Dennis Rodman.
“Players have been making fun of me, I try to watch Dennis Rodman highlights before the game, almost like an actor to try and get in that mindset,” Kaufman-Renn said in a video posted by GoldandBlack.com. “I’m just trying to do everything I can to have that sort of energy because that’s what the team needs.”
Kaufman-Renn doesn’t have any interest in changing his hair color every week, but he does find motivation in watching those clips before each game. And what better athlete than Rodman to get you fired up to attack the glass?
Rodman turned his tenacity on the boards into a 14-year NBA career. He led the league in rebounding seven times and won five championships. He averaged 13.1 rebounds per game for his career and now has a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Kaufman-Renn said the game now is different from when Rodman was on the floor, but he still thinks the effort the former Detroit Piston and Chicago Bull played with translates to today.
“It’s not one-to-one; the game’s played a little bit differently. There are a lot more threes being shot. It’s not perfect,” Kaufman-Renn said. “But I just try to copy how he moves, how he reacts to the ball. I don’t know, I try to watch him and mimic him in that type of way before the game. Anything I can do to get myself in that mindset.”
In Purdue’s two wins over Nebraska and Iowa, Kaufman-Renn has been undeniable on the glass. He collected 19 rebounds in the 80-77 overtime victory over the Huskers on Tuesday and brought down 12 boards in the lopsided victory over the Hawkeyes.
For the season, Kaufman-Renn is averaging 9.0 rebounds per game, a 2.5-rebound increase from his 2024-25 season. Providing Purdue with that consistency has been a huge benefit throughout the season, but especially in the last two games.
Kaufman-Renn might make it look easy, but rebounding at a high level is something that takes a lot of effort. Compared to last season when he averaged more than 20 points per game, the senior forward says grabbing rebounds at a high rate is a much more difficult task.
“Rebounding is really hard. I don’t know how else to say it,” Kaufman-Renn said. “I felt like last year, scoring the ball, that felt easy. I know the numbers are what they were, but it just felt a lot easier. Rebounding, every single day, every single time you go out, you really have to give it your all. It’s tough.”
Can Purdue continue rebounding at a high level?
Purdue is at its best when it is rebounding at a high level. There was a stretch during the three-game losing streak when the Boilermakers didn’t have the same tenacity on the glass as early in the season.
In the last two games, the Boilers have seemingly rediscovered their aggressive mindset. They outrebounded Nebraska 54-37 and won the battle of the boards 38-30 against Iowa.
Can that level of production on the glass be sustained? Kaufman-Renn says Purdue has no choice.
“We need it. We have to have it,” Kaufman-Renn said. “We’re in a spot, unfortunately, with the Big Ten race that we have to win the rest of our games. So, every single game we go into, it’s a championship game. When every game matters, you have to bring it.”
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