Former Purdue center Matt Haarms had a strong season in his first season at BYU. The ex-Boiler big man earned some honors from the WCC earlier this week.

Haarms was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Year after a stellar first season at BYU. He is the first Cougar to claim the honor from the league. The 7-footer averaged 10.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game during the 2020-21 season.

In addition to earning the Defensive Player of the Year Award, Haarms was also a second-team All-WCC selection after helping BYU to a 19-5 record.

Prior to his time at BYU, Haarms was on the floor for Purdue for three seasons. In his final year in West Lafayette, the center averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per contest. Haarms entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal following the 2019-20 season with the Boilermakers.

After being such a critical piece for Purdue for three seasons, Haarms’ departure from West Lafayette was a bit of a head scratcher. However, it’s seemed to work out on both ends. The center is having a tremendous year at BYU while the Boilers are currently sitting at No. 4 in the B1G standings.