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Purdue Basketball: Top 10 Players To Play For Matt Painter

By Tristan Freeman

BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 28: Head coach Matt Painter of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts in the first half of a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on January 28, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Purdue won 74-67. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 28: Head coach Matt Painter of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts in the first half of a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on January 28, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Purdue won 74-67. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 28: Head coach Matt Painter of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts in the first half of a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on January 28, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Purdue won 74-67. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 28: Head coach Matt Painter of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts in the first half of a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on January 28, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Purdue won 74-67. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Longtime Purdue Basketball Head Coach Matt Painter is one of the best in the game right now. Here’s a list of the best players he’s ever coached.

Purdue Basketball has been around for now 120 seasons, yet it took about 70 years for the program to become nationally relevant. But under Boilermaker legend Gene Keady, the school became a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament.

After his departure in 2005, Purdue elected to go with Matt Painter, who spent just one season with Southern Illinois. He went 25-5 with the Salukis, taking them to the Big Dance. Painter clearly impressed them, getting the job and continuing where Keady left off.

In the 13 seasons at the helm for Purdue, Painter led the team to 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament, with four of them ending in the Sweet Sixteen. He’s yet to get past that point, but the Boilermakers are consistently now near the top of the Big Ten. Right up there with Michigan State, Michigan, and Indiana over the years.

Purdue has never been the spot for high-level recruits, so development over the four years is key for the program to be successful. That’s where Painter has excelled at, helping develop All-Americans at West Lafayette.

This is a continuation of my series of rankings for the top players of the 25 best active coaches in college basketball. Painter comes in at No. 23, and at his young age will very likely climb the ladder in future seasons.

There have been some great players that have played under Painter, so without further ado here are the top 10 that he’s coached.

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