Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn Receive Midseason Honors From Naismith Trophy
The recognition continues to pour in for Purdue guard Braden Smith and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. The two Boilermakers were named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Team, which was unveiled on Friday.
Smith has received plenty of attention from multiple awards over the last few weeks. He's a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, presented to the best point guard in college basketball. The junior guard was also on the list of 20 candidates for the John Wooden Award, which honors the top player in college basketball.
Smith is averaging 16.4 points, 8.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game for the Boilermakers this season.
Kaufman-Renn has been snubbed of multiple award selections this year. He was not mentioned among the top-10 for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (top center) or Karl Malone (power forward) awards. However, he is a three-time Big Ten Player of the Week this season.
The junior forward is having the best season of his Purdue career, averaging 19.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He's also shooting better than 60% from the floor.
A pair on the @NaismithTrophy list.
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) February 14, 2025
👉 Smith, TKR on 2025 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Midseason Team. pic.twitter.com/Ek2yZkAwyo
As of Friday, the Boilermakers own a 19-6 overall record and sit 11-3 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers are a half-game out of first place in the league standings, behind only Michigan. Both Smith and Kaufman-Renn have played huge roles in that success.
Each of the past two seasons, Purdue center Zach Edey was the winner of the Naismith Trophy, presented to the best college basketball player. Could a Boilermaker received the honor for a third consecutive season?
Here's the complete rundown of college basketball players who have made the Naismith Trophy Midseason Team, which includes 30 players from across the country:
- Ace Bailey, Rutgers
- Johni Broome, Auburn
- Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
- Donovan Dent, New Mexico
- Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
- Eric Dixon, Villanova
- Cooper Flagg, Duke
- Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
- PJ Haggerty, Memphis
- Dylan Harper, Rutgers
- Chucky Hepburn, Louisville
- Graham Ike, Gonzaga
- Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
- Tre Johnson, Texas
- Kam Jones, Marquette
- Curtis Jones, Iowa State
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
- Alex Karaban, UConn
- Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
- Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
- RJ Luis Jr., St. John's
- Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga
- Derik Queen, Maryland
- Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
- Mark Sears, Alabama
- Javon Small, West Virgina
- Braden Smith, Purdue
- John Tonje, Wisconsin
- Danny Wolf, Michigan
- Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
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