Four-star 2021 PF Trey Kaufman is coming off of a busy week to say the least. After receiving back to back offers from Indiana University and Purdue University within a tight three-day window, he found the time to catch up with IndianaHQ to discuss the latest in his recruitment. We also covered topics like his summer work out plans, Romeo Langford, who he thinks will win the 2019 NBA Finals, and a basketball legend that he is researching to gain leadership insight.
Trey Kaufman receives back-to-back offers from the Big Ten – Indiana and Purdue – in a span of just three short days. #iubbhttps://t.co/DSu6NXV871
Interview with 2021 PF Trey Kaufman (Silver Creek)
On winning the state title, leadership, and his injury
Q: How was your experience this year winning the State 3A Championship?
“Well for me it was a relief. I think our head coach had us playing AAU together, as far as Kooper [Jacobi] and I, and some of the other sophomores. It’s all been leading up to this year. So for us to get one this year was amazing, but hopefully we’ll carry it over and have the momentum next year.”
Q: With you being a leader for next year’s team, what are you doing to develop your leadership?
“I am reading a lot of books. For example, I am reading John Wooden and his pyramid of success. In terms of leadership, I know I have to get it together. For me to lead the team this [upcoming] year, I really want to repeat. I know [my leadership] will be so important for this team.”
Q: Are you in a better place with your wrist injury?
“Absolutely, my wrist is 100%. I want to make sure I can come back and not risk re-injuring it. Yeah it’s 100%.”
On Indiana’s recruitment
Q: How would you grade yourself at the team camp in Bloomington?
“I tend to be a harsh grader for myself. I would say I played decent. There are some things that I have to improve on with what our team needs me to do. I gotta find limits on turnovers and get my team more involved in the offense.”
Q: Since you have visited Bloomington in the past, did you learn anything new about Indiana on this trip?
“Um, to be honest, no. My attention going in was on my team winning. Being a basketball school, you know that there would be some good teams up there and teams that want to show-out up there.”
Q: What was on your mind after Archie Miller gave you an offer?
“You know, it was exciting. Knowing the history of Indiana – being a basketball school. It was really exciting being offered there. Obviously that and how our team played in the team camp were two things that dominated my mind going home.”
Q: What is the recruiting message from the Indiana staff?
“IU’s perspective for me is how far my potential can go, and how maybe after a year, maybe my game would translate into the NBA – getting me prepared for that. And also me being a big part of the team. I think their biggest message is how I can control the game for them, my versatility, and how my game fits.”
“They also mentioned a couple of players that they have been recruiting and how I am similar to them.”
Q: Being from southern Indiana, does Romeo Langford picking Indiana leave an impression on you?
“Yeah a little bit. For me, it’s about finding a perfect fit for me. But the fact that he would pick Indiana out of a lot of other schools that could potentially get him. That says some things, yeah.”
On Purdue’s recruitment
***Responses paraphrased in this section due to technical difficulties. We promise it wasn’t intentional!***
Q: What was the message from Purdue after your offer there?
Purdue mainly talked about their culture as a program and how they are about family and winning. They mentioned to Trey that they only lost 4 games in the last 4 years at home, which was something that stuck out to Trey during his visit to West Lafayette. Purdue went into great detail about their player development and how players got better during their time at Purdue. Trey was excited to ultimately receive the scholarship offer from Purdue.
Q: Did you get an opportunity to follow Purdue during last season?
Trey was able to watch a number of Purdue games last season. He saw that Purdue played very well and obviously made it very far last season. He really liked Carsen Edwards, specifically around his development as a player at Purdue.
On where he stands with his recruitment
Q: Which schools have kept up with you the most in terms of recruiting?
“Well recently it’s been IU, Purdue, and Xavier. Those are the schools recently. I am sure things it will be pick more after June 15th as the summer continues and the season rolls around.”
Q: What are things you look for when you visit schools and talk to coaches?
“I have thought a little bit about certain things. Player development and getting me ready for the next level is the most important thing. The team culture and the team atmosphere. Would I see myself playing at certain schools? I have not really made out a list of what exactly I would want from a school. Right now I am just taking it all in.”
On his plans for the summer and development goals
Q: Are you looking forward to any specific events this summer?
“For me, no, not really. Any event that I go to, I try to play my best. I hope that my team wins and that I get better every day as far as practice and training. So no, there is not one single event that I am looking forward to. I am just trying to dominate all of them that I can.”
Q: What are your summer fitness and training goals?
“I am working with Coach McFarland, trying to get my balance, my coordination, my footwork, and my hand-speed to be more like a guard. Naturally I would say I am clumsy. So, working with him has been amazing. Those are big things for me. Once you get those down, you can turn those into speed and explosiveness. Until you get those down, you can’t really transfer skills into game situations.”
On his relationship with 2021 PG Khristian Lander
Q: Since you both workout with Coach McFarland, what’s your relationship with Evansville’s Khristian Lander?
“I have been playing against Khristian for a while in AAU. Coach Hoffman always had us compete [within our AAU team] between Silver Creek and Evansville. Khristian was always on the Evansville team. Let’s just say we weren’t used to losing to them. It was always big to win that game, for sure.”
On all things NBA things, favorite shoe, and his graphic designer
Q: Do you model your game after any NBA or college players?
“I take bits and pieces from different players. I don’t think there is one NBA player that I solely base my game off of – then again, my favorite player is Larry Bird. A lot of his confidence and his mental game – a lot of those things are forgotten. You talk about developing the player that I want to be, those are the biggest things to get from the greats: their mentality, their work ethic and those things.”
Q: Do you have a favorite NBA team?
“I actually do not. I do not.”
“I do like the Pacers because I am from Indiana, but I did like the Minnesota Timberwolves because I met Gorgui Dieng once. So I liked him for a while. But that was brief, now I don’t really have a favorite NBA team.”
Q: Who is winning this year?”
“I hope the Raptors, but I will never count out Golden State. That’s a toss up, but I’d go with the Raptors.”
Q: Lebron James or Michael Jordan, if you had to pick.
“Oh man, that’s really tough. I would say since my game includes passing also… Lebron. I grew up watching Lebron and I didn’t get to see Jordan play growing up. So yeah, I’d go with Lebron. But who is the greatest? I don’t know, that’s really tough.”
Q: Do you have a favorite sneaker?
“No, I do not. I am not the best with style. But I have a couple of friends that are the biggest sneaker heads and they try to hook me up with the best. Can I name any? Nope.”
Q: Can you share who created your logo?
“My mom made my logo actually, yeah!”
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