WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue sophomore Caleb Swanigan has been named a first-team Associated Press All-America selection, capping off a season in which he has been named a first-team honoree by every source.
The culmination to the All-America selections, the Associated Press (AP) selection makes Swanigan a consensus All-American, Purdue’s first since JaJuan Johnson in 2011. The Sporting News, United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and AP are the four organizations used in determining consensus All-Americans.
Swanigan is also a finalist for the Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy, the Big O Award (Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Award), the Malone Award (nation’s top power forward) and the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year Award.
His selection to the consensus team is Purdue’s 27th consensus All-America selection in school history, done by 18 players. The 27 consensus All-Americans are the second most in NCAA history and the 18 players honored rank as the third most.
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 are 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.