Kenny Thompson
Purdue Senior Trio Finish Atop Boilermaker Record Book
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…
Read MoreTrio Leave Huge Shoes to Fill for Purdue Basketball
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…
Read MoreBig Man U Has Proud History With Purdue 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…
Read More10 Players Who Helped Boiler Hoops Power Forward
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…
Read MoreRoller-Coaster Season for Purdue’s Boilermakers Continues Into NCAA
The roller-coaster ride taken by the Purdue men’s basketball team since the dawn of 2026 is once again on an upward trajectory. Becoming the first No. 7 seed to win the Big Ten Tournament has renewed some faith in the eighth-ranked Boilermakers, who were viewed as a preseason national championship contender. Beating the Michigan all-star…
Read MoreBehind the Mic With Purdue Announcers Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell
Every play-by-play announcer dreams of a signature call. Think Al Michaels and the 1980 Olympic hockey semifinal between the U.S. and Soviet Union. “Do You Believe in Miracles? Yes!” To this point in Rob Blackman’s career with the Purdue Global Radio Network, his came on Easter Sunday in 2024 in Detroit during the final seconds…
Read MoreRemembering the Too-Short Life of Purdue Great Rondale Moore
These are the toughest columns to write. My friend and longtime Journal and Courier colleague Jeff Washburn used to write heartfelt tributes for high school athletes who died too young and for Purdue greats who he admired. I always admired his skill of persuading grieving family members to talk about their children or their husbands/fathers.…
Read More50+ Years Later, The Rocket Still Tops List of Boiler Shooting Guards
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone aware of Indiana’s tradition of producing great high school basketball shooters that 70 percent of Purdue’s Top 10 shooting guards from the 1960s to the present are products of Hoosier Hysteria. From Lebanon to East Chicago to Anderson and points in between, these Boilermakers piled up points…
Read MoreNo Controversy Here; Drew Breezes Into NFL Hall of Fame
As expected, Purdue legend Drew Brees was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Fittingly, his enshrinement ceremony will be held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, in August. Benson was owner of the New Orleans Saints when the combination of Brees and head…
Read MoreKen Thompson Takes Point With Best of Boilermaker Hoopsters
Today begins a five-week series where I rank the best point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers in Purdue men’s basketball history. I don’t want to pretend that I’m an expert on Boilermaker basketball before 1970, when I first saw Rick Mount play in Mackey Arena thanks to WLFI. But since I…
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