Baby Boilers 2.0: Purdue freshmen set unique B1G basketball record
You might remember the mid-2000s when Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore were all freshmen at Purdue, earning the the team the nickname “Baby Boilers” for the 2007-08 season. But this year’s squad in West Lafayette may, somehow, be the upgraded version.
On Monday, Purdue freshman Jaden Ivey was named the B1G’s Freshman of the Week after averaging 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the Boilermakers two games against Ohio State and Michigan last week. However, it was the game in Columbus that set Ivey apart.
Not only did Ivey register a career-high 15 points in 67-65 victory over the Buckeyes, he hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 5 seconds left to give the Boilermakers an important road victory.
Where does the history come in? Well, Ivey is the fourth Purdue player to earn Freshman of the Week honors this season. That has never happened in a single season in B1G history.
According to Brian Neubert of Gold & Black Illustrated, the previous record for number of players to earn B1G Freshman of the Week honors was three — set by Ohio State in 2010-11 and tied by Michigan in 2012-13.
Purdue center Zach Edey earned the award in the opening week of the season and Mason Gillis and Brandon Newman have also claimed the honor at points throughout the year. It’s an indicator of a pretty bright future for the Boilermakers for the rest of this season and years ahead.
The Boilers are 11-6 on the season with a 6-4 mark in B1G play. They’re back in action on Saturday, Jan. 30 when they’ll host No. 21 Minnesota at Mackey Arena.