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 isn’t much information we know about Matt Painter’s actual children. Therefore, there is no better time than now to enlighten ourselves.

Matt Painter 3 Kids

Matt Painter was married to Jerri Painter from 2003 to 2013. Five years later, he would tie the knot with his second wife, Sherry, in October 2018. Matt has two daughters, Maggie and Emma, from his previous marriage to Jerry Painter. Additionally, the coach also has a son, Brayden, from a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Kim Lei. Sherri also has a son and a daughter from her previous marriage to Stephen Plevin, but their identities have reportedly been kept a secret.

Brayden

Brayden Smith was reportedly born back in August 2003 in West Lafayette, Indiana. According to his LinkedIn profile, he got both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Purdue University. Currently, he serves in a Part-time role as a Team Attendant at Pacers Sports & Entertainment. According to ‘Bravetools’, Brayden was a 6’7″ forward at Purdue who created a reputation based on his versatility, athleticism, and high basketball IQ. Unfortunately, his stats are not public knowledge.

After Purdue, Brayden went on to serve in the field of basketball itself. He served as the Assistant Varsity Boys Basketball Coach, Director of Basketball Operations & Team Equipment Manager, and then as the Assistant Athletic Facilities Director at the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. He also held a role as the Assistant Varsity Boys Basketball Coach & Director of Basketball Operations at Faith Christian School, located in his hometown of Lafayette, Indiana. Additionally, Brayden has also served in the Volunteer Statistics role at the Purdue Men’s Basketball team.

Maggie

Maggie was the first child of Matt and Jerri, and was born in 2001. Her X account shows her to be a major supporter of her family. She occasionally posts updates about her father, including when he had his jersey retired by Delta High School. She is quite a big Miley Cyrus fan.

Similar to her brother, Maggie went to Purdue University and pursued a Bachelor’s degree, Hospitality and Tourism Management. During her tenure at Purdue University, she served as the Co-Director of Decorations, Service Team for the HTM Black Tie Dinner Board. Later on, she went on to work for companies like Insight Global, Louis Vuitton, etc. She currently serves as a Consultant for The Bowdoin Group.

Emma

Not much information is available on the internet about Emma Painter. Maggie did mention her in her blog, stating that she was in 3rd grade when her brother (Brayden) was in high school. Maggie gave her flowers to Emma through the blog by writing, “My sister is without a doubt my favorite person on this entire Earth. She is always acting crazy and saying things that catch me off guard just for a laugh.”

Matt Painter, without a doubt, has some exceptional kids, two of whom have built their own lives by making good use of the opportunities given to them by their father and Purdue University. Where life takes them, and Matt Painter in the future, is something that remains to be seen.