Swanigan Named NABC’s Pete Newell Award Winner

by | Apr 3, 2017 | Headlines, RRSN News | 0 comments

Swanigan Named NABC’s Pete Newell Award Winner

 

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Caleb Swanigan was named the recipient of the Pete Newell Award given to the nation’s top post player, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced this evening at Final Four festivities in Phoenix.

 

The award is named after Pete Newell, coach who ran the Pete Newell Big Man Camp for low-post players from 1976 until his death in 2008.

 

Purdue is now 1-of-3 teams (Purdue, Utah and Duke) to win the Pete Newell Award twice after JaJuan Johnson received the honor following the 2010-11 season. A Boilermaker has won the award twice in the last seven seasons.

 

Past recipients include David West (Xavier), Emeka Okafor (UConn), Michael Beasley (Kansas State), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) and Anthony Davis (Kentucky).

 

Swanigan has already been named a consensus All-American and is a finalist for the Wooden and Malone Awards to be handed out next week, which will cap off the awards season for the Purdue sophomore.

 

Swanigan led the Boilermakers to a 27-8 overall record, a berth in the Sweet 16 and Purdue’s 23rd Big Ten championship. The Boilermakers’ title was their 10th outright league title, winning the Big Ten regular-season championship by two full games.

 

Swanigan recorded one of the top statistical seasons in not only Purdue history, but NCAA history, en route to first-team honors. Swanigan averaged 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 44.7 percent from 3-point range and 78.1 percent from the free throw line.

He is the only major-college player (and one of two players total) to record 600 points, 400 rebounds and 100 assists in a season (Towson’s Jerrelle Benimon in 2013-14). He joins legendary Tim Duncan of Wake Forest (1996-97 season) as the only players in the last 25 years to average at least 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a season.

Swanigan is the only player in the last 31 years (since the 1985-86 season) with at least 640 points, 430 rebounds and 100 assists.

His 28 double-doubles were the most for a player in Big Ten history and 13th most for a player in NCAA history, leading the country in that category. He set Purdue’s single-season rebounds record by almost 100 rebounds (436; Joe Barry Carroll is second with 352) and recorded 10 more double-doubles than any player in Purdue history.

 

Related Stories

Crossroads League Announces Athletes of the Week | May 5-11

Crossroads League Announces Athletes of the Week | May 5-11   JACKSON, Mich. – The Crossroads League Athletes of the Week were announced on Monday, recognizing the league’s top individual performances from May 5 through May 11. Sports Information Directors from the...

Big Ten Sends Eight Teams to NCAA Softball Tournament 

Big Ten Sends Eight Teams to NCAA Softball Tournament Oregon, UCLA receive top 16 seeds, set to host regional round   ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has qualified eight teams for the 2025 NCAA Division I Softball Championship. Michigan received the...

Krug Named to MVC All-Tournament Team

Krug Named to MVC All-Tournament Team Valpo softball sophomore Kayden Krug (Milford, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) represented the Beacons on the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team, unveiled by the conference at the tournament’s conclusion Saturday. Krug had...

Big Ten Announces 2025 Softball Postseason Honors 

Big Ten Announces 2025 Softball Postseason Honors Bahl becomes first-ever Big Ten player to earn Player and Pitcher of the Year recognition   ROSEMONT, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference announced the 2025 All-Big Ten Softball Teams and individual awards on Friday....

Crossroads League Announces Men’s Outdoor Track Award Winners

Crossroads League Announces Men’s Outdoor Track Award Winners  JACKSON, Mich. – The Crossroads League announced its 2025 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field All-League and Coach-of-the-Year honors on Wednesday, just days after Marian rolled to its fifth-straight team...

Saint Xavier Dominates CCAC Softball Postseason Honor Roll

Saint Xavier Dominates Softball Postseason Honor Roll CHICAGO, Ill. --- Dominant throughout the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular and postseason, the Saint Xavier University softball program was just that again on Wednesday afternoon when the league...