Purdue senior forward/center JaJuan Johnson was named a first-team All-American on Monday by the Associated Press, making him the Boilermakers’ first consensus All-American in 17 years.
Having already become the 17th first-team All-American in the history of Purdue basketball, the Indianapolis native is the first consensus honoree the program has seen since Glenn Robinson in 1994. He is one of 17 Purdue players to earn a total of 25 consensus All-America honors, which ranks as the second-highest total in NCAA history.
In order to earn consensus distinction, a player must earn first-team accolades from a majority of the following organizations: Associated Press, National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Sporting News and United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
In addition to the AP, Johnson has already been a recipient of first-team honors from Sporting News and the USBWA. The NABC will announce its teams on Saturday in Houston.
With Johnson and senior defensive end Ryan Kerrigan each earning consensus All-America honors in basketball and football, respectively, Purdue has produced a consensus honoree in both sports for the first time since 1980, when Joe Barry Carroll earned the acclaim in basketball and both Mark Herrmann and Dave Young did so on the gridiron.
Johnson and fellow first-team All-American Jimmer Fredette of BYU were also on the AP’s five-man preseason All-America squad.
Johnson was named Big Ten Player of the Year after leading the league 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’s corresponding first-team All-Big Ten selection was his second, and his third All-Big Ten nod overall. He also took home Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team after pacing the league in blocked shots (2.5).
Johnson also 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 12 double-doubles during the season, and led the conference with 22 20-point scoring games on the year. He finished his career on a streak of 43-consecutive games with double-figure points, the fifth-longest streak in program history.
Johnson was also the lone player in Division I this season with 1,800 points, 850 rebounds, and 250 blocks for his career. He finished ninth on Purdue’s single-season scoring (698) and rebounding (291) charts, making him one of just four Purdue players to rank in the top 15 of both lists.
Johnson has also been named the USBWA District V Player of the Year, an All-District 7 selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and a first-team All-American by virtually every national publication.
Team Leaders in Consensus First-Team All-America Selections
1. Kansas – 27
T2. North Carolina – 25
T2. Purdue – 25
4. Pennsylvania – 24
5. Kentucky – 23
2011 First-Team AP All-Americans
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Nolan Smith, Duke
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Kemba Walker, Connecticut