Purdue Coach Matt Painter Talks Redshirt Statuses for Upcoming Season
Two Purdue freshmen could be redshirting during the 2024-25 college basketball season. Coach Matt Painter said freshman guard Jack Benter will utilize a redshirt year, but the verdict is still out on big man Raleigh Burgess.
Sunday, Painter met with reporters to talk about Purdue's season opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The 20-year coach of the Boilermakers was asked about redshirt statuses for the upcoming year, and there's still some decisions to be made.
"Jack Benter is going to redshirt. We're still kind of working it out with Raleigh (Burgess)," Painter said. "It gets to be — and this kind of stinks how I'm going to say it — you need certain individuals, but you don't always need them.
"When you're a starter and you get 30 minutes, that's what you want as a player, right? You want that. We just don't have that right now. Doesn't mean somebody can't grow into that ... But right now, with the guys that come off of our bench, especially on the front line, we just haven't had anybody outside of Trey Kaufman-Renn really separate themselves. Doesn't mean good things haven't happened, but you just haven't seen it to where it's clear cut."
Benter, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Brownstown, Ind., is part of a clogged backcourt in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers return starters Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer and brought in freshmen CJ Cox and Gicarri Harris, which will probably account for most of the minutes at those two positions.
Burgess is part of a crowded frontcourt, battling for minutes with sophomore Will Berg and freshman Daniel Jacobsen. Painter really likes what Burgrss — a 6-foot-11 forward/center — brings to the court, but minutes are a concern.
"With Raleigh, it helps us because he's got size to help us guard someone big, but yet he can stretch the defense, he can play on the interior and post up," Painter said. "He's got good athleticism, good strength, now it's just kind of learning two different positions. And, how much will we need him?"
Under current NCAA rules, players are not permitted to play in a college basketball game and retain their redshirt status. So, we'll see what Painter decides on Burgess, likely in the near future.
Purdue's season tips off Monday night against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
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