After concluding one of the finest regular seasons in Boilermaker basketball history, three Purdue players and head coach Matt Painter were recognized with individual accolades on Monday as the Big Ten announced its postseason honors.
Seniors JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore were both named first-team All-Big Ten, while junior Lewis Jackson was an honorable mention all-league pick. Johnson was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and was selected to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team, while Moore was Purdue’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and Painter was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Purdue placed two players on the All-Big Ten first team for the second year in a row, as Johnson and Moore both earned the billing for the second time in their careers. The pair of selections marked the second-straight year and the 16th time in program history that two Boilermakers have claimed first-team honors in the same season.
Johnson and Moore are the 22nd and 23rd Purdue players, respectively, to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors at least twice in their careers.
“When you talk about the line between ‘good’ and ‘great,’ you start to look at whether or not guys make the players around them better,” Painter said. “JaJuan and E’Twaun have done that this year. They’ve made the guys around them better, and really elevated the level of play for our team. I’m proud of them, and happy for them, because in my opinion, they deserve any good thing that comes their way.”
Johnson is only the third player in program history to earn Big Ten Player of the Year honors, and the first Boilermaker to do so since Glenn Robinson in 1994.
A first-team All-Big ten selection for the second time in his career and an all-league pick for third time, Johnson is just the 22nd player in program history to bring home All-Big Ten honors three times in his career. He was a unanimous first-team selection by both the league’s coaches and media.
The Indianapolis native led the Big Ten in scoring in conference play with an average of 20.7 points per game, also marking the first time a Boilermaker had done so since Robinson in 1994.
Johnson also led the league in blocks (2.5), and ranked third in total rebounds (8.3), defensive rebounds (6.1) and free throw percentage (.876), fifth in offensive rebounds (2.3), 11th in steals (0.9) and 14th in field goal percentage (.482) in Big Ten games.
He posted 10 double-doubles during the regular season, and currently leads the conference with 20 20-point scoring games on the year. He has netted double-digit points in 40-consecutive games, the sixth-longest streak in program history.
Johnson is also the lone player in Division I this season with 1,800 points, 800 rebounds, and 250 blocks for his career.
Johnson’s defensive prowess was also rewarded on Monday, as he earned his first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award and was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team for the third time in his four collegiate seasons. He is the second Boilermaker in as many seasons to take home the league’s top defensive award, as former teammate Chris Kramer also did in 2010. He is also the fifth Purdue player to take home the honor and the first Purdue non-guard to win the award.
Johnson is only the third player in Big Ten history to earn Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year accolade in the same season, joining Michigan’s Gary Grant (1988) and Illinois’ Dee Brown (2005) in that elite company.
“The honors that JaJuan earned today reflect the maturation process that has taken place in front of our eyes,” Painter said. “His hard work and dedication are evident every time he steps out on the court. He’s playing with great confidence this year, too, and that’s helped him take his game to another level.”
Moore earned his second first-team nod in as many years on Monday, while also becoming just the second player in program history to earn All-Big Ten honors in each of his four years at Purdue (also Paul Hoffman, 1944-47). He was also named Purdue’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
The East Chicago, Ind., native was once again one of the league’s most consistent performers in 2011, ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.18), sixth in scoring (17.7), seventh in three-point field goals per game (2.28), ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.406) and steals (1.0), 11th in assists (3.4), 18th in rebounding (4.7) and 25th in free throw percentage (.687) in Big Ten games.
Over the course of his senior season, Moore became the fifth player in program history to break the 2,000-point barrier, and the fourth player in Big Ten history to accrue 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 350 assists for his career. He also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in Big Ten games only, the first Boilermaker to do so since Cuonzo Martin in 1995.
“E’Twaun came to Purdue as a great scorer, and I think he’ll leave as a great player,” Painter said. “He once again quietly put together one of the best individual seasons in our league, which is something he’s been doing since he arrived at Purdue. He handles his business on and off the court, and he isn’t flashy, which is a reflection of the kind of person he is.”
Monday’s recognition was the first All-Big Ten selection of Jackson’s career, and came in the midst of a breakout season for the Decatur, Ill., native.
In Big Ten play, Jackson average 10.2 points and 4.1 assists, good for eighth on the league charts in the latter. He also posted a 1.92 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference games that ranked as the sixth-best in the Big Ten.
Nine of Jackson’s 11 double-figure scoring games on the season came in Big Ten play, where he also shot.517 from the field to place himself among the league leaders.
“Lewis has finally been totally healthy this season, and we’ve been able to see what he’s capable of on the court,” Painter said. “Aside from his play on the floor, I’ve been happy with the way he’ developed as a leader. He’s got the respect of his coaches and teammates, and he’s been a driving force in our success this season.”
The architect of Purdue’s fifth-straight 20-win season, Painter was honored with his second Big Ten Coach of the Year award in as many seasons, and third in the last four years, on Monday. Paired with legendary former Purdue head coach Gene Keady’s seven Big Ten COY honors, Boilermaker coaches have now won the award a league-best 10 times.
He is only the 10th coach to win the award more than once since its inception in1974, and one of four, along with Keady, Bob Knight and Thad Matta, to earn the acclaim at least three times.
In his sixth season at the helm of his alma mater’s program, Painter has presided over another of the finest seasons in Purdue history. The Muncie, Ind., native guided the Boilers to a 16-0 record at Mackey Arena, marking the program’s first undefeated home season since the 1968-69 campaign.
Purdue also posted its fourth-straight top-two finish in the Big Ten with a 14-4 league record, good for runner-up honors, and defeated a pair of top-10 teams during the league campaign. Heading into the Big Ten Tournament, the Boilermakers’ record stands at 25-6.
“I’m once again humbled to be the recipient of the Big Ten Coach of the Year award,” Painter said. “It’s a great feeling to be recognized by your peers and those that cover the game I love. This award is the result of the hard work and effort put forth by our players, and it’s really a reflection of all they’ve done this year.”
The second-seeded Boilermakers will open Big Ten Tournament play against either Michigan State or Iowa on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Big Ten Network will televise the game live, and the Purdue Sports Network, with Larry Clisby and Rob Blackman on the call, will carry the action on the radio dial.
2010-11 Big Ten Awards Player of the Year: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue Defensive Player of the Year: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue Freshman of the Year: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State Sixth Man of the Year: Aaron Craft, Ohio State Coach of the Year: Matt Painter, Purdue
First-Team All-Big Ten
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State (coaches/media)
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue (coaches/media)
E’Twaun Moore, Purdue (coaches/media)
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin (coaches/media)
Jon Leuer, Wisconsin (coaches)
Talor Battle, Penn State (media)
Second-Team All-Big Ten
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State (coaches/media)
Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota (coaches/media)
William Buford, Ohio State (coaches/media)
David Lighty, Ohio State (coaches/media)
Talor Battle, Penn State (coaches)
Jon Leuer, Wisconsin (media)
Third-Team All-Big Ten
Demetri McCamey, Illinois (coaches/media)
Darius Morris, Michigan (coaches/media)
Draymond Green, Michigan State (coaches/media)
Michael Thompson, Northwestern (coaches/media)
Jon Diebler, Ohio State (coaches/media)
John Shurna, Northwestern (coaches)
Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
Mike Davis, Illinois (coaches/media)
Melsahn Basabe, Iowa (coaches/media)
Tim Hardaway, Jr., Michigan (coaches/media
) Jeff Brooks, Penn State (coaches/media)
Lewis Jackson, Purdue (coaches/media)
Keaton Nankivil, Wisconsin (coaches/media)
Mike Tisdale, Illinois (media)
Bryce Cartwright, Iowa (media)
Blake Hoffarber, Minnesota (media)
John Shurna, Northwestern (media)
Aaron Craft, Ohio State (media)
Big Ten All-Freshman Team
Jereme Richmond, Illinois
Melsahn Basabe, Iowa
Tim Hardaway, Jr., Michigan
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Big Ten All-Defensive Team
Delvon Roe, Michigan State
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
David Lighty, Ohio State
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin