Purdue juniors JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore will enter the 2010 NBA Draft, but retain their amateur status by not hiring agents.
“There are a lot of positives that can come out of the information gathering that takes place this time of year,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. “Both JaJuan and E’Twaun have our full support as they start the process of finding out where they stand in the eyes of NBA personnel.”
Purdue’s second all-time leading shot blocker, Johnson is a two-time All-Big Ten selection, including a first-team nod in 2009, and has also been named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team in each of the last two seasons. He led the Boilermakers with an average of 7.1 rebounds per game and ranked third on the team with a mark of 15.5 points per contest this season.
The Indianapolis native led the Big Ten with an average of 2.0 blocks per game in league play, and ranked second in the conference with a clip of 2.1 per outing in all games.
“This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and this is the first step toward making it come true,” Johnson said. “Putting my name into the draft as a junior allows me the great options of either returning to Purdue or pursuing my professional dreams.”
Moore was named an honorable mention Associated Press All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten honoree this season after becoming just the third player since 1971 to lead Purdue in both scoring and assists. His average of 16.4 points per game ranked sixth in the Big Ten, and made him the first player since Troy Lewis in the late 1980s to lead the Boilermakers in scoring in three-consecutive seasons.
The East Chicago, Ind., native was also named a second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in February.
“I’m confident that this process will make me stronger as a person and a player,” Moore said. “It’s important to me to leave open the option of returning to Purdue, but I also want to take the first step toward getting my game ready for the next level.”
Underclassmen who have not hired agents have until May 8 to withdraw their names from consideration.