Having been a college basketball head coach for 2 decades, one can only imagine how many children Matt Painter coached. From welcoming a new batch of students every year to seeing them depart after a while, this cycle has not worn down the 55-year-old.

This was seen in October 2025, when Purdue claimed the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 men’s preseason college basketball for the first time. Though only 9 players he coached made it to the NBA, with 3 only being drafted in the 1st round, Purdue’s 5× Big Ten regular season championship titles, 2× Big Ten tournament titles, and the NCAA Division I regional – Final Four title earned in 2024 speak well about how he molds his players.

While we keep hearing about the children he coaches over the course of the NCAA tournament, there is

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