Purdue rising seniors E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson have withdrawn their names from the NBA Draft, and will return to the Boilermakers for their final collegiate seasons.
“We’re obviously happy to have two players of the caliber of E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson returning to our team,” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said. “Their dedication, leadership and work ethic are key components of our team, and we’re looking forward to helping them develop as both people and basketball players over the next year.”
Moore was an honorable mention Associated Press All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2010 after leading Purdue in scoring and assists with averages of 16.4 and 2.7 per game, respectively. In February, he was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team.
The East Chicago, Ind., native led Purdue in scoring 15 times, reaching the 20-point mark on 10 occasions, and also paced the team in assists in 14 games as a junior. He also scored in double figures 32 times on the year, including a streak of 28 games in a row that ranks as the longest in Painter’s tenure as head coach. His total of 575 points on the year moved him into 23rd place on the program’s single-season chart.
Moore will head into his senior season ranked 18th in program history with 1,524 points, while standing sixth in three-point field goals (173), eighth in games started (102), 15th in steals (123) and 17th in assists (292). One of only four Purdue players to play at least 1,000 minutes in three different seasons, Moore will also have a chance to break the program record for court time as a senior.
“I can’t wait to get back and start preparing for a great senior season at Purdue,” Moore said. “I had many positive experiences during this process, and I have no doubt that they’ll help me as both an individual and a teammate.”
Johnson was a second-team All-Big Ten pick in 2010 after earning first-team honors as a sophomore, and also earned his second-straight nod to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. He led the Boilermakers in rebounds with an average of 7.1 per contest, and ranked third on the team with a clip of 15.5 points per game.
The Indianapolis native finished the season ranked second in program history with 184 blocked shots after pacing the Big Ten with a mark of 2.0 rejections per game in league play. He also moved into 15th place on the program’s single-season list with 250 total rebounds, leading the Boilers in that category on 21 occasions.
One of just 20 Boilermakers with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career, Johnson will enter his final campaign ranked 28th on the career scoring list with 1,221 points and 24th with 563 boards. He also recorded nine double-doubles as a junior to bring his career total to 14.
“We have a chance to be very successful this season at Purdue, and I’m excited to be a part of that,” Johnson said. “Being able to play one more year with E’Twaun and Rob (Hummel) will be special because we came in together, and hopefully we can make the most out of the opportunity we have.”
Purdue tied a school record with 29 wins in 2009-10 en route to claiming a share of its first Big Ten title since 1996 and making its second-straight run to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Boilermakers played three teams (Duke, Michigan State and West Virginia) that advanced to the Final Four, posting wins over MSU and the Mountaineers.