Johnson Wins Team MVP Award

The Boiling Point: Purdue senior JaJuan Johnson was named team MVP at Monday’s team banquet.

Purdue’s men’s basketball program got to recognize its dynamic senior duo one last time on Monday at its postseason banquet. And with little surprise, big man JaJuan Johnson earned the team’s John Wooden MVP award. He got all but one vote, which was his own that went to fellow senior E’Twaun Moore.

Johnson was a consensus All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year as he led the Big Ten in both points and blocks per game. He also earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

Junior guard Lewis Jackson earned his second-career Bob King Assist Award after leading the team in assists. His 308 career dimes rank 17th in program history.

Junior guard Ryne Smith picked up two awards with the Courage Award and Ray Eddy “Mr. Hustle” honor. The first one is given to the player who takes the most charges during the season while the second goes to the person who shows the most determination, drive and leadership.

Sophomore’s D.J. Byrd and John Hart also got some honors. Byrd got the Doc Combs “Play Hard” Award, which is given to the guy who leads the team in total steals, charges taken, loose balls recovered, blocked shots, rebounds and assists. Hart got the Lambert Award for having the team’s highest GPA during the previous two semesters.