Smith Named Big Ten Player of the Year; Kaufman-Renn Joins Him on First Team

Smith Named Big Ten Player of the Year; Kaufman-Renn Joins Him on First Team

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue junior point guard Braden Smith was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, while Trey Kaufman-Renn was named a first-team All-Big Ten honoree, the league office announced today.

Both players were unanimously selected by the Big Ten coaches, while Smith was a unanimous selection on the media team. Wisconsin’s John Tonje was also a unanimous selection by both the coaches and media. The group was joined on the first team by Maryland freshman Derik Queen and Nebraska’s Brice Williams on the coaches vote. The media vote went to Williams and Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin.

For the first time in Big Ten history, a team has had three straight unanimous (coaches and media) Big Ten Player of the Year recipients as Zach Edey won the award in both 2023 and 2024. Michigan State previously had three straight Players of the Year from 1998-00, but only via the coaches vote.

It marks the second straight year that Purdue has had two first-team selections and Smith is named to the first team for the second time. Since the 2015-16 season, Purdue has had 11 first-team honorees. Iowa and Illinois are next with six first-team selections in that timeframe.

Smith becomes Purdue’s seventh Big Ten Player of the Year, now the second most in league history behind Michigan State’s nine. Five of the winners have come since the 2011 season.

In addition, Fletcher Loyer was voted to the honorable mention team by the media and Caleb Furst was named the team’s Sportsmanship Award recipient.

The No. 20 Boilermakers will open Big Ten Tournament play Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, against the winner of USC and Rutgers.

First-Team All-Big Ten // Big Ten Player of the Year – Braden Smith, Junior, Guard

• Averages 16.3 points, 8.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game, but saw his averages increase to 17.4 points, 8.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds during Big Ten play.
• Set the Big Ten record for assists in conference play only with 175, smashing the previous record set by Michigan State’s Cassius Winston (157) by 18 assists – almost a full assist per game.
• Became the second player in Big Ten history, joining Michigan State’s Magic Johnson, to register 450 points, 250 assists, 125 rebounds and 60 steals in a season. Smith has reached those numbers in each of the last two seasons.
• Became the school’s career assists leader, now with 717 assists in just 105 career games.
• Needs just three assists, five rebounds and three steals to become the second player in NCAA history to have 500 points, 275 assists, 150 rebounds and 75 steals in a season, joining Georgia Tech standout Kenny Anderson (1989-90) as members of that group.
• Is on pace to be the first player since California’s Jason Kidd (1993-94) to average at least 16.0 points, 8.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
• Smith’s 717 assists (and counting) are the eighth most for a player in NCAA history by the end of his junior season.
• Recorded four 20-point, 10-assist games this season. Prior to this year, Purdue had two 20-point, 10-assist games in school history – the last one coming in the 1987-88 season.
• His nine point-assist double-doubles are the third most for a high-major player in the last 20 seasons (14 – Oklahoma’s Trae Young, 2018; 10 – Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell, 2023).
• Smith has posted two games of 30 or more points this season (34 vs. Toledo; 31 vs. Iowa).
• Has 12 games of 10 or more assists this season, and 22 games of 10 or more assists for his career. His 22 career games of 10 or more assists are the most in Big Ten history. The 22, 10-assist games are the fourth most by a player in his junior season or younger in the last 20 years (Kay Felder – 32; Kendall Marshall – 23; Ja Morant – 23).

First-Team All-Big Ten – Trey-Kaufman-Renn, Forward

• Named first-team All-Big Ten after averaging 19.7 points and 6.1 rebounds for the season, but saw his scoring increase to 20.5 points per game in Big Ten play.
• Finished second in the Big Ten in scoring, finishing just four points off the scoring title won by Nebraska’s Brice Williams.
• Is one-of-four players in Big Ten history to average 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shoot at least 60.0 percent from the field (Zach Edey, Evan Eschmeyer, Chris Webber).
• Is one-of-two players nationally this season to average at least 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and shoot 60.0 percent from the field (South Dakota State’s Oscar Cluff).
• Surpassed 600 points for the season and 1,000 career points in the regular-season finale against Illinois. Scored 408 points in his first two seasons, but has 612 this season.
• Leads the country in 2-point field goals made (246).
• Scored 20 or more points 15 times during the regular season, including 11 in Big Ten play.
• Over the last 12 games, is averaging 22.7 points and 5.6 rebounds, while shooting 64.0 percent from the field and 75.9 percent from the free throw line. Has five games of at least 25 points in that span, including a career-high 30 points against Wisconsin.

Honorable Mention All-Big Ten – Fletcher Loyer, Guard

• Named honorable mention All-Big Ten after averaging 14.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in league play.
• Led the Big Ten in 3-point percentage, making 46-of-99 (.465) from long range during Big Ten play.
• Ranks second on team with 26 double-digit scoring games and posted four games this season of 20 or more points.
• Is playing his best entering the postseason, making 29-of-49 (.592) from 3-point range in the last 11 games.
• Dating to last year in 11 games played in March, Loyer is 23-of-41 (.561) from 3-point range, and has scored at least 20 points in two of the last four games.