Kenny Thompson

In the fall of 2014, no one outside of Mackey Arena realized that it was the eve of the most successful period in Purdue men’s basketball history. The freshman class of Vincent Edwards, Isaac Haas, Dakota Mathias and P.J. Thompson were about to change the Boilermakers’ trajectory after a last place Big Ten finish in…

Glenn Robinson could be credited for Gene Keady remaining head basketball coach at Purdue for 25 years. The period between the Troy Lewis-Todd Mitchell-Everette Stephens teams that produced back-to-back Big Ten championships in 1987 and 1988, and when Robinson donned a Boilermaker uniform in 1992 was mediocre. The 1990 squad that came within a loss…

The 2007 Indiana All-Star boys basketball team was one of the finest ever assembled by The Indianapolis Star. Five of the 14 players would go on to play in the NBA. Three of those five – E’Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson and Robbie Hummel – would form the nucleus of a Big Ten championship team at…

There likely would have been no Big Ten Conference title and a berth in the 1969 NCAA men’s basketball tournament championship game for Purdue if Rick Mount had decided to follow through on his original commitment in the spring of 1966. That probably would have meant a 39-year gap between conference titles for a program…

Books, movies and TV shows have been devoted to stories about changing the course of history, from preventing Abraham Lincoln’s assassination to would John F. Kennedy have pulled the United States out of Vietnam had he lived? While not on the scale of either of those scenarios, I’ve always wondered what if the right decisions…

For many years, the sign “Defense Lives Here” has been displayed in Mackey Arena. Maybe there also should be a placard declaring “Loyalty Lives Here.” Do not underestimate the fact that every eligible scholarship player is returning to Purdue for the 2026-27 season. Whether or not Purdue adds a player or two from the transfer…

Photos courtesy Purdue Athletics In addition to helping Purdue end a 44-year Final Four drought during their careers, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn depart as the highest scoring senior trio in Boilermaker men’s basketball history. Smith (1,932 points), Loyer (1,829) and Kaufman-Renn (1,655) combined for 5,416 points to finish eighth, 11th and 19th on the…

Braden Smith may not have repeated as the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year or become the first two-time winner of the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s best point guard. However, the Indiana Mr. Basketball from Westfield did claim consensus first-team All-America honors. After earning first-team All-America citations from the United States Basketball…

Photos courtesy Purdue Athletics. During Matt Painter’s 21-year tenure leading the Purdue men’s basketball program, the Boilermakers have become known as “Big Man U.” In an era when history is regarded by some as yesterday, Purdue has been the home of exceptional center play going back to before the 55-year-old Painter entered grade school. In…

Purdue may be known as “Big Man U” these days but it historically also has produced outstanding power forwards. This top 10 list is talented, led by three first-team All-Americans. It also is the third time in this series that an active player has been selected. The “Big Dog” was the most dominant player in…