A year ago at this time we were all hoping to wake up on the morning of April 8, 2026 still basking in the glow of Purdue\u2019s first Men\u2019s Basketball National Title. That same dream was there at the start of the 2025-26 season when the Boilermakers began the year as the preseason No. 1. The regular season did not go as planned, but Purdue\u2019s postseason run starting in the Big Ten Tournament saw it get revived over seven and a half games before Arizona prevailed and ended not just the dream, but the memorable era led by Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn.<\/p>\n
When the Boilermakers take the floor to begin the 2026-27 it will do so without those three in the starting lineup for the first time since the 2022 tourney loss to St. Peter\u2019s. Think about that for a moment. In this era of NIL and the transfer portal Purdue was able to not only develop players that started as freshmen, but keep them for four years. We may never see that again at a major conference program.<\/p>\n
That first title is still elusive, but with Matt Painter at the helm for the foreseeable future Purdue will be on the short list of contenders for some time. It will be higher in some years and lower in others, but many of the Way-Too-Early Top 25 lists for next season Purdue is still picked as a consensus top 15 team despite returning just one starter. That\u2019s impressive, and a testament to what Painter has built. It is also a very enviable place to start next season compared to the rest of college basketball. This past season was the ninth consecutive tournament where Purdue received at least a 4 seed or better. It has been over a decade since we have had to sweat through a Selection Sunday in any way. It is very, very likely that Purdue will be in the 2027 NCAA Tournament, but it will be a very different team for the first time in a while.<\/p>\n
While the core of the last four seasons is gone, there are still several returning contributors, and here at Hammer & Rails we will be reviewing everyone on the roster from this past season and assigning homework to each returning player. And when I say everyone I mean EVERYONE. That includes our leadoff player today.<\/p>\n
Jace Rayl \u2013 Senior in 2026-27<\/p>\n
2026-27 Projection: Deep Reserve<\/p>\n
We can begin with the obvious here: If Jace Rayl is a major contributor in 2026-27 he either has taken an enormous leap in ability or something has gone seriously wrong with multiple players ahead of him.<\/p>\n
Rayl comes from my hometown of Kokomo and played for my beloved Kokomo Wildkats, reaching the Class 4A State championship game in 2023. During his time at KHS the Kats struggled his first two seasons, going 8-16 and 7-17 under Robert Wonnell. His last two years were much better, however. John Peckinpaugh took over and the Kats immediately went 19-8 and came within a missed three-pointer at the buzzer of reaching the 2022 state title game (eliminating Braden Smith\u2019s Westfield along the way in the regional final 64-60 in what proved to be Braden\u2019s last HS game). Things were even better in Rayl\u2019s senior year as Kokomo went 24-5 and reached the state title game, losing to Ben Davis 53-41.<\/p>\n
Was much of that success due to Rayl? Well, not really. Rayl wasn\u2019t even much of a contributor at KHS. He was basically the eighth man in a seven man rotation and appeared in just 18 of Kokomo\u2019s 29 games as a senior. He was just 2 of 11 from the field on the season, scoring only 8 points in 70 minutes of action as a senior. His junior year was much better, as he averaged 12.3 minutes and 2.4 points per game.<\/p>\n
Those are not the high school numbers of a typical walk-on for a Big Ten program. Kokomo\u2019s team success was HEAVILY based on 2024 Mr. Basketball and Kansas star Flory Bidunga. It turns out that when you play alongside one of the best players in Kokomo\u2019s long and storied history it leads to a lot of on the court success. There were other solid contributors such as Indiana All-Star and current NAIA player at St. Francis Karson Rogers, current Indiana football tight end Andrew Barker, and St. Francis linebacker Shayne Spear. That 2022-23 Kokomo team was absolutely loaded with athletes.<\/p>\n
After all this you might be wondering how on earth Rayl not only made Purdue\u2019s roster, but he is entering his fourth year with the team. Well, it helps a lot to have a famous name. Jace\u2019s grandfather was Indiana basketball legend Jimmy Rayl. The elder Rayl was the 1959 Mr. Basketball in Indiana and one of the most storied high school players in state history. He then was a two-time Third Team All-American at Indiana and even played for the Indiana Pacers for two seasons in their ABA days.<\/p>\n