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Assists Record Should Fall Tonight For Former Westfield Star Braden Smith

February 28, 2025 | The Paper of Montgomery County | ,

Barring the unexpected, yet another rewrite to the Purdue men’s basketball record book will take place sometime tonight in Mackey Arena.

One season after Zach Edey broke the career scoring and rebounding records that stood for 54 and 44 years, respectively, Braden Smith will supplant Bruce Parkinson’s 48-year-old standard as the Boilermakers’ career assists leader with his third against UCLA.

Parkinson handed out 690 assists over 112 games in a career that spanned four-plus seasons from 1972 to 1977. (A broken wrist two games into the 1975-76 season forced Parkinson to take a medical redshirt.)

The UCLA game will be Smith’s 103rd in gold and black, avoiding the argument that older records are broken because of today’s 30-to-40-plus game schedules. The records Edey broke on his way to a second consecutive National Player of the Year honor were set in 72 (Rick Mount) and 123 (Joe Barry Carroll) games respectively. Edey compiled 2,516 points and 1,321 rebounds in 138 games.

While it is not publicly known what Carroll thought of losing his Purdue record to someone who played 15 more games, Mount will remind anyone who asks that Edey played nearly twice as many games.

A similar situation took place during the 1961 Major League Baseball season, when Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees were pursuing the gold standard of baseball records: Babe Ruth’s 60 home runs in 1927. Ruth did it in 154 games; Maris hit No. 61 on the final day of the 162-game schedule.

Baseball commissioner Ford Frick opined that Ruth was the true home run champion and that any entry in the official record book should list Ruth as the 154-game record-holder and Maris the 162-game record holder. A prominent New York sportswriter, not Frick as commonly believed, deemed there should be an asterisk in front of Maris’ name.

In reality, recordkeepers listed Maris as the home run champion until 1998. But the legend was such a good story that actor / baseball fan Billy Crystal directed a 2001 HBO dramatization on the subject, “61*.”

But what if Purdue basketball divided its record book between records set by four-year players and those who suited up three or fewer seasons? Let’s take a look at the three major career records: scoring, rebounding and assists. (Note: Purdue did not begin compiling assists until the 1970-71 season.)

Purdue’s top 10 career scorers (all games)

  1. Zach Edey (138 games) 2,516
  2. Rick Mount (72) 2,323
  3. Joe Barry Carroll (123) 2,175
  4. E’Twaun Moore (140) 2,136
  5. Dave Schellhase (72) 2,074
  6. Troy Lewis (124) 2,038
  7. Terry Dischinger (70) 1,979
  8. Carsen Edwards (108) 1,920
  9. JaJuan Johnson (140) 1,919
  10. Walter Jordan (109) 1,813

Three or fewer seasons top 10 scorers

  1. Mount
  2. Schellhase
  3. Dischinger
  4. Edwards
  5. Glenn Robinson (62 games) 1,706
  6. John Garrett (82) 1,620
  7. Russell Cross (93) 1,529
  8. Willie Deane (92) 1,328
  9. Frank Kendrick (78) 1,269
  10. Braden Smith (102) 1,250

Note: Robinson played two seasons before entering the NBA Draft. Edwards and Cross entered the NBA Draft after three seasons. Garrett and Kendrick began their college careers in 1971, when freshmen were ineligible. Deane transferred from Boston College in 1999.

Purdue Top 10 career rebounders (all games)

  1. Edey 1,321
  2. Carroll 1,148
  3. Dischinger 958
  4. A.J. Hammons 930
  5. Trevion Williams 905
  6. Walter Jordan 882
  7. Robbie Hummel and Brad Miller 862
  8. JaJuan Johnson 854
  9. Vince Edwards 779

Three or fewer seasons top 10 rebounders

  1. Dischinger 958
  2. Garrett 738
  3. Schellhase 721
  4. Caleb Swanigan (69 games) 718
  5. Frank Kendrick 664
  6. Bob Ford (73) 648
  7. George Faerber (77) 646
  8. Herm Gilliam (70) 636
  9. William Franklin (64) 630
  10. Cross 622

Note: William Franklin’s Purdue career ended prematurely when he signed with an agent before the conclusion of the 1971-72 season. Franklin, Ford and Faerber – who started together on Purdue’s front line for two seasons – were nicknamed “F-Troop” after the TV comedy.

Purdue Top 10 career assist leaders (all games)

  1. Bruce Parkinson 690
  2. Smith 688
  3. Tony Jones and Everette Stephens 481
  4. Porter Roberts 464
  5. Matt Waddell 460
  6. Lewis Jackson 456
  7. Eugene Parker 424
  8. Steve Reid 416
  9. Carson Cunningham 318

Three or fewer seasons top 10 assist leaders

  1. Braden Smith (102 games) 668
  2. Brian Walker (100) 572
  3. Steve Reid (88) 416
  4. Cunningham (96) 318
  5. Carsen Edwards 270
  6. Jimmy Oliver (90) 221
  7. Willie Deane (92 games) 218
  8. Nojel Eastern (104) 213
  9. Swanigan 168
  10. Dave Luke (68) 164

Note: Walker began his college career at North Carolina State after starring at Lebanon High School. Reid transferred from Kansas State, and Cunningham from Oregon State. Oliver, a former Arkansas Mr. Basketball, was ineligible as a freshman after failing to meet NCAA academic test score standards. Eastern left Purdue after his junior season and did not play another collegiate game. Luke was the point guard for the 1974 NIT championship team.

Noteworthy

Former Purdue quarterback David Blough was selected to the NFL’s 50 under 40 list compiled by The Athletic.

Blough completed his first season as assistant quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders. He is credited with helping prized rookie Jayden Daniels adjust quickly to the pro game.

“The 29-year-old Purdue product bounced around the NFL as a backup quarterback before connecting with Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona,” the profile states. “He then followed Kingsbury to Washington, where he assisted Kingsbury, Brian Johnson and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard with the development of Jayden Daniels. Kingsbury described Blough as “one of the brightest quarterbacks I’ve ever been around,” and praises his rapport with his players, his insight and communication skills. Blough received interest from Aaron Glenn and the Jets about their quarterbacks coach opening, but the Commanders blocked Blough from interviewing, viewing him as a valuable piece to their quarterback room and with potential to rise through the ranks of their organization.”

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.