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Add ‘Big Man U’ to Purdue’s Cradle of Quarterbacks Moniker
If Purdue football is home to the Cradle of Quarterbacks, shouldn’t the Boilermakers’ basketball program be referred to as Big Man U.?
The latest in a long line of talented centers in the Matt Painter era was honored on Monday as the Naismith Men’s College Basketball Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week.
Junior Trey Kaufman-Renn was dominant in victories last week at Washington and No. 13 Oregon, averaging 21 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2 assists per game. The former Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year padded that scoring average by going 12 of 16 from the free throw line. That facet of the game has been a glaring weakness for Kaufman-Renn this season.
Taking over for two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey as Purdue’s inside scoring threat, Kaufman-Renn is building All-Big Ten credentials. He is averaging 17.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 59 percent from the field.
While Edey is obviously the No. 1 center not just in the Painter era but Purdue history, there’s several reasons why the Boilermakers own a reputation of developing big men in a time when the 3-point shot and positionless basketball has been the trend.
Let’s start with a sometimes forgotten big man who straddled the end of Gene Keady’s 25 years at Purdue and who got Painter off to a good start as head coach.
Carl Landry
Cut from his Milwaukee high school team as a freshman and seldom used on varsity as a junior or senior, the 6-9 future NBA player became a junior college All-American at Vincennes.
The polite young Landry would become Keady’s last big-time recruit. Landry led the Big Ten at 18.2 points per game as a junior despite missing the final three games of the 2004-05 season with a torn ACL in his right knee.
Landry played just five games under Painter the following season before reinjuring the knee. Granted a medical redshirt, Landry averaged nearly 19 points a game and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors while leading Purdue back to the NCAA tournament.
JaJuan Johnson
The 6-11 center from Franklin Central came to Purdue at 195 pounds and left as a Big Ten heavyweight.
Johnson became Purdue’s first consensus All-American in 2011, the first Boilermaker since Glenn Robinson in 1994 to do so. Johnson became the first Purdue player to win the Pete Newell National Big Man Award.
Johnson was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Year as a senior, as well as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 20.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. Purdue went 107-33 in his four seasons.
Johnson was a first-round draft pick by the New Jersey Nets in 2011 but was traded to the Boston Celtics.
A.J. Hammons
The one-time Carmel center began Purdue’s run of having at least one 7-footer on the roster in 2012-13.
Hammons was the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior. Hammons averaged 15 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. Upon completing his eligibility, Hammons joined Purdue All-American Joe Barry Carroll as the only players in Big Ten history with at least 1,500 points, 900 rebounds and 340 blocked shots.
Hammons may be one of the most underrated Boilermakers ever, having finished 17th in career points (1,593), third in rebounds (930) and second in blocked shots (343). He led the Big Ten in blocked shots for three consecutive seasons, missing a fourth season at the top by two to Iowa’s Jarrod Uthoff.
Isaac Haas
The 7-2, 300-pound Haas chose Purdue after originally committing to Wake Forest because of the staff’s ability to develop big men.
Haas had to play himself into shape but was ready as a junior following two seasons behind Hammons. Haas earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as a junior after averaging 12.6 points and 5.7 rebounds.
As a senior, Haas eclipsed 1,000 career points and was selected third-team All-Big Ten.
Matt Haarms
The lean 7-3 Haarms came to the United States from Amsterdam via Sunrise Christian in Bel Aire, Kansas.
His 79 blocked shots in 2017-18 were the second-most ever by a Purdue freshman. Haarms’ sophomore season was highlighted by his last-second shot to defeat Indiana in Assembly Hall.
Only one other player in Big Ten history matched Haarms’ feat in 2020 of leading the league in field goal percentage and blocked shots in the same season. Haarms finished his collegiate career as a graduate transfer with BYU, opening the door to immediate playing time for a freshman from Toronto.
Trevion Williams
Once he got his weight under control, the 6-10 Williams became a key player for the 2019 Elite Eight squad.
As a sophomore, Williams’ 36-point, 20-rebound performance in a double-overtime loss at Michigan made him the first Boilermaker since 1971 to post a 35-20 game.
Williams was the first-team All-Big Ten center in 2021 and earned honorable mention All-America honors from The Associated Press. Williams was a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award after averaging 15.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
Stepping aside in the starting lineup to make way for Edey, instead of pouting Williams became the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2022 after averaging 12 points and 7.4 rebounds. Surprisingly, Williams led Purdue in assists with 112.
Zach Edey
Haarms’ departure to BYU worked out for Purdue as Edey flashed signs of what was to come as a freshman during the 2020-21 season. The tallest player in Purdue history (7-4) debuted with a team-high 19 points against Liberty in the Space Coast Challenge and followed up by leading the Boilermakers with 17 points in a loss to Clemson the following day.
Edey is arguably the most decorated player in Purdue history. His numerous honors include a pair of National Player of the Year awards, two Big Ten Player of the Year citations, two Big Ten Athlete of the Year awards, two Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Awards and is Purdue’s all-time scoring (2,516) and rebounding (1,321) leader.
Kenny Thompson is the former sports editor for the Lafayette Journal & Courier and an award-winning journalist. He has covered Purdue athletics for many years.