Awards Pile Up For Boilers

The Boiling Point: Purdue gets two first-team All-Big Ten players and Matt Painter wins Coach of the Year.

Monday was a big day for Purdue. Purdue senior JaJuan Johnson was named the conference’s Player of the Year and coach Matt Painter was picked as the league’s top coach. Both guys earned the pick from both the media and the coaches.

On top of those awards, Johnson and E’Twaun Moore both made first-team All-Big Ten for the coaches and media, while Johnson was picked as the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year and Lewis Jackson was an honorable mention all-league pick.

It’s the 16th time in program history that two Purdue players made the first team in the same year. Joining Moore and Johnson on that first team are Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer and Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger. Johnson was the only unanimous pick for the coaches.

"“When you talk about the line between ‘good’ and ‘great,’ you start to look at whether or not guys make the players around them better,” Painter said. “JaJuan and E’Twaun have done that this year. They’ve made the guys around them better, and really elevated the level of play for our team. I’m proud of them, and happy for them, because in my opinion, they deserve any good thing that comes their way.”"

The media differed a bit. It voted Penn State’s Talor Battle along with Sullinger, Johnson, Moore and Taylor.

It’s the second straight year Painter won the league’s top coaching honor, while Johnson becomes just the third player in Purdue history to win conference player of the year. Glenn Robinson won it in 1994 and Steve Scheffler in 1990.

Johnson led the Big Ten 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 also led the league in blocks (2.5), and 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.

"“The honors that JaJuan earned today reflect the maturation process that has taken place in front of our eyes,” Painter said. “His hard work and dedication are evident every time he steps out on the court. He’s playing with great confidence this year, too, and that’s helped him take his game to another level.”"

Moore was once again one of the league’s most consistent performers in 2011, ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.18), sixth in scoring (17.7), seventh in three-point field goals per game (2.28), ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.406) and steals (1.0), 11th in assists (3.4), 18th in rebounding (4.7) and 25th in free throw percentage (.687) in Big Ten games.

"“E’Twaun came to Purdue as a great scorer, and I think he’ll leave as a great player,” Painter said. “He once again quietly put together one of the best individual seasons in our league, which is something he’s been doing since he arrived at Purdue. He handles his business on and off the court, and he isn’t flashy, which is a reflection of the kind of person he is.”"

Here’s a complete list of the Big Ten awards.

Player of the Year: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Defensive Player of the Year: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Freshman of the Year: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Sixth Man of the Year: Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Coach of the Year: Matt Painter, Purdue

First-Team All-Big Ten
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State (coaches/media)
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue (coaches/media)
E’Twaun Moore, Purdue (coaches/media)
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin (coaches/media)
Jon Leuer, Wisconsin (coaches)
Talor Battle, Penn State (media)

Second-Team All-Big Ten
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State (coaches/media)
Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota (coaches/media)
William Buford, Ohio State (coaches/media)
David Lighty, Ohio State (coaches/media)
Talor Battle, Penn State (coaches)
Jon Leuer, Wisconsin (media)

Third-Team All-Big Ten
Demetri McCamey, Illinois (coaches/media)
Darius Morris, Michigan (coaches/media)
Draymond Green, Michigan State (coaches/media)
Michael Thompson, Northwestern (coaches/media)
Jon Diebler, Ohio State (coaches/media)
John Shurna, Northwestern (coaches)

Honorable Mention All-Big Ten
Mike Davis, Illinois (coaches/media)
Melsahn Basabe, Iowa (coaches/media)
Tim Hardaway, Jr., Michigan (coaches/media)
Jeff Brooks, Penn State (coaches/media)
Lewis Jackson, Purdue (coaches/media)
Keaton Nankivil, Wisconsin (coaches/media)
Mike Tisdale, Illinois (media)
Bryce Cartwright, Iowa (media)
Blake Hoffarber, Minnesota (media)
John Shurna, Northwestern (media)
Aaron Craft, Ohio State (media)

Big Ten All-Freshman Team
Jereme Richmond, Illinois
Melsahn Basabe, Iowa
Tim Hardaway, Jr., Michigan
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

Big Ten All-Defensive Team
Delvon Roe, Michigan State
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
David Lighty, Ohio State
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin