After helping lead the Boilermakers to their sixth-straight 20-win season, a trio of Purdue men’s basketball players were recognized with individual accolades on Monday as the Big Ten announced its postseason honors.
Senior Robbie Hummel was named first-team All-Big Ten on Monday, while classmate Lewis Jackson took home honorable mention all-conference honors. Junior D.J. Byrd was named both honorable mention All-Big Ten and the league’s 2012 Sixth Man of the Year.
Hummel was also recognized as Purdue’s honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
With Hummel earning a place on the All-Big Ten first team for the third time in his career, Purdue has placed a player on the conference’s top squad for the sixth year in a row. The Valparaiso, Ind., native is just the third player in program history, along with Paul Hoffman (1944-47) and E’Twaun Moore (2008-11) to receive All-Big Ten honors in each of his four seasons with the Boilermakers. He is also just the seventh Purdue player to garner three first-team All-Big Ten honors in his career, having also done so in 2008 and 2010.
Hummel led Purdue with averages of 16.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks per game in Big Ten play, ranking fourth in the league in rebounds and seventh in scoring. The 6-8 forward also shot 84.3 percent from the free throw line in conference action, good for fifth in the Big Ten.
Heading into the Big Ten Tournament, he ranks ninth in program history with 1,720 points and sixth with 829 rebounds. Hummel is the only active player in the Big Ten with 1,700 points and 800 rebounds for his career.
“This is a huge honor, and it feels great to be held in the same regard as some great players from around the league,” Hummel said. “A lot of hard work has gone into not only getting back on the court this season, but putting myself in the best possible position to help the team. I’m feeling better every time out, and I think that’s only going to continue. I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me and believed in me as I’ve worked to get back.”
Jackson earned his second honorable mention All-Big Ten nod in as many years on Monday, receiving the recognition from both the league’s coaches and media.
The Decatur, Ill., native led the Big Ten with a 2.81 assist-to-turnover ratio in league games, with the next-closest player checking in at 2.18 for the conference campaign. Jackson also ranked fourth in the league with an average of 4.2 assists per game and 28th with a scoring average of 10.3 points per outing.
The 2011-12 season has seen Jackson become just the 10th player in program history to record at least 400 assists in his career. He currently ranks seventh on Purdue’s chart with 438, while his 2.16 assist-to-turnover ratio for his career is the second-best in school annals as of Monday.
“This is a great honor, and it brings me the same sense of excitement and pride that it did last year,” Jackson said. “Being able to overcome some injuries this year and still play well enough to earn this honor feels really good. This wouldn’t be possible without a great group of teammates on the other end of those passes. We have a great group of guys who love getting out on the court with each other.”
Byrd was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the league’s media on Monday, while also becoming the first Purdue player to ever be named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year by the conference coaches. The two awards were the first conference accolades of Byrd’s career.
The Crawfordsville, Ind., native averaged 12.1 points per game in 17 Big Ten contests, making just four starts. To be eligible for the Sixth Man of the Year award, a player could make no more than 10 starts on the entire season.
Byrd ranked second in the Big Ten with an average of 2.6 three-point field goals per game in league action, while his mark of 46.4 percent from beyond the arc was good for fourth in the conference standings. His scoring average in league games also ranked 17th in the Big Ten.
Byrd’s breakout season has included 13 double-figure scoring performances, 11 of which came during the Big Ten season. He scored 206 points in Big Ten play, more than double his total from the first two Big Ten campaigns of his career. He has made 105 three-point field goals for his career, and needs six more to tie Glenn Robinson and Chris Lutz (111) for 15th-most in program history.
“I’m excited and humbled to receive these honors,” Byrd said. “There really isn’t a better feeling than having your hard work and hours in the gym pay off. I’m humbled that the great coaches in our league found me deserving of the Sixth Man of the Year award. Coach Painter talks about being ready when your number is called, and we have a group of guys on this team who really take that to heart.”
Purdue is the No. 6 seed at the 2012 Big Ten Tournament, and will face 11th-seeded Nebraska at approximately 8 p.m. ET on Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. ESPN2 will televise the action with Dave O’Brien and Dan Dakich on the call, while Larry Clisby and Rob Blackman will call the action on the radio for the Purdue Sports Network.
2011-12 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Awards
Player of the Year: Draymond Green, Michigan State
Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Freshman of the Year: Cody Zeller, Indiana (coaches)/Trey Burke, Michigan (media)
Sixth Man of the Year: D.J. Byrd, Purdue
Coach of the Year: Tom Izzo, Michigan State
All-Big Ten First Team
Draymond Green, Michigan State
John Shurna, Northwestern
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Robbie Hummel, Purdue
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin (coaches)
Tim Frazier, Penn State (media)
All-Big Ten Second Team
Cody Zeller, Indiana
Trey Burke, Michigan
William Buford, Ohio State
Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State (coaches)
Tim Frazier, Penn State (coaches)
Matt Gatens, Iowa (media)
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin (media)
All-Big Ten Third Team
Keith Appling, Michigan State
Drew Crawford, Northwestern
Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan
Matt Gatens, Iowa (coaches)
Brandon Paul, Illinois (coaches)
Aaron Craft, Ohio State (media)
Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State (media)
All-Big Ten Honorable Mention
Meyers Leonard, Illinois
Christian Watford, Indiana
Lewis Jackson, Purdue
Jared Berggren, Wisconsin
Ryan Evans, Wisconsin
Brandon Paul, Illinois (media)
Jordan Hulls, Indiana (media)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana (media)
Aaron White, Iowa (media)
Zack Novak, Michigan (media)
Branden Dawson, Michigan State (media)
D.J. Byrd, Purdue (media)
Big Ten All-Freshman Team
Cody Zeller, Indiana
Aaron White, Iowa
Trey Burke, Michigan
Branden Dawson, Michigan State
Dave Sobolewski, Northwestern
All-Defensive Team
Victor Oladipo, Indiana
Draymond Green, Michigan State
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Tim Frazier, Penn State
Josh Gasser, Wisconsin