Purdue seniors JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore both remain in the running for the John R. Wooden Award, as both were included on the final ballot released by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Monday.
Purdue was one of three schools, along with Duke and Wisconsin, to place multiple representatives on the 20-play ballot.
A USBWA first-team All-American, Johnson was named Big Ten Player of the Year after leading the league 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’s corresponding first-team All-Big Ten selection was his second, and his third All-Big Ten nod overall. He also took home Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team after pacing the league in blocked shots (2.5).
Johnson also 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.
He posted 10 double-doubles during the regular season, and currently leads the conference with 21 20-point scoring games on the year. He has netted double-digit points in 41-consecutive games, the sixth-longest streak in program history.
Johnson is also the lone player in Division I this season with 1,800 points, 800 rebounds, and 250 blocks for his career. He currently ranks 12th on Purdue’s single-season scoring chart (657) and 13th on its single-season rebounding ledger (261), making him one of just four Purdue players to rank in the top 15 of both lists.
In recent days, Johnson has also been named the USBWA District V Player of the Year, an All-District 7 selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and a first-team All-American by virtually every national publication.
Moore 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.
Over the course of his senior season, Moore became the fifth player in program history to break the 2,000-point barrier, and the fourth player in Big Ten history to accrue 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 350 assists for his career. He also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in Big Ten games only, the first Boilermaker to do so since Cuonzo Martin in 1995.
The Wooden Award All-America teams will be announced the during the week of the regional round of the NCAA Tournament. The 35th-annual Wooden Award ceremony will take place on April 8, 2011, at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
The No. 3 seed in the Southwest Region, Purdue will face No. 14 seed Saint Peter’s in NCAA Tournament second-round action on Friday. The Boilermakers and Peacocks are set to square off at 7:20 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago. TNT will televise the action live, and the Purdue Sports Network will have the call on the radio waves.
2011 John R. Wooden Award finalists
Marshon Brooks, Providence
Alec Burks, Colorado
Norris Cole, Cleveland State
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Jordan Hamilton, Texas
Ben Hansbrough, Notre Dame
Dwight Hardy, St. John’s
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State
Jon Leuer, Wisconsin
E’Twaun Moore, Purdue
Marcus Morris, Kansas
Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
Kyle Singler, Duke
Nolan Smith, Duke
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin
Kemba Walker, Connecticut
Derrick Williams, Arizona