Which Players Make The Mount Rushmore (Post 2000) For The Purdue Boilermakers?

Since 2000, the Big Ten conference has been loaded with elite talents and some of college basketball’s greatest players. Fans have seen numerous Big Ten players earn All-Americans and National Players of the Year honors during that time.

But who have been the best?

With the offseason in full swing, BTPowerhouse has decided to sit down and break down the Big Ten’s greatest players since the start of the 2000-’01 season. We will be taking a look at each program and how it fits into the league.

This time, we will look at the greatest players from the last 17 seasons for the Purdue Boilermakers. Please note that this evaluation only looks at college contributions at the particular school. It does not include a player’s contributions at another school or at the professional level.

Brief Recap Since 2000

Before we jump into the discussion regarding Purdue’s greatest players over the last 17 seasons, let’s take a moment to recap what the program has done during that time frame. Let’s dive check out some of the statistics.

Brief Stats Since 2000

• NCAA Tournament Appearances: 10
• Winning Seasons: 12
• Big Ten POTY Winners: Two
• Consensus All-Americans: Two

Over the last 17 seasons, the Boilermakers have been one the better team’s in the Big Ten. Since 2000, Purdue has ten NCAA Tournament bids and has won plenty of games in the Big Dance. In Purdue’s last NCAA Tournament appearance, the team lost to Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen.

Also in the last 17 seasons Purdue claimed two Big Ten Regular Season Championship and one Big Ten Tournament Championship. Now let’s take a look at some of the players that helped Purdue’s program achieve Big Ten and NCAA Tournament success.

Purdue’s Mount Rushmore Since 2000

Robbie Hummel (2007-2012)

Many Purdue fans regard Robbie Hummel as one of the best shooters to ever play at Purdue. And his numbers back up that claim. Hummel shot a 90.2 free throw percentage for the 2009-2010 season - that mark ranks second best in school history. Hummel was also a consistent shooter from three, he shot 44% his freshmen season, 38% his senior season and never was below the 35% clip during his career.

Hummel finished his career with 1,772 points (ninth in school history), 862 rebounds (fourth in school history), 268 assists, 132 steals and 112 blocks, becoming the only Boiler to reach such numbers in each category. Hummel was a two-time Honorable Mention All-American and two-time Big Ten First Team All-Big Ten Selection.

E’Twaun Moore (2007-2011)

After his four years at Purdue E’twaun Moore left the program as one of the best to ever play at the program. He became just the third player in Big Ten history to tally 2,000 points (2,136), 500 rebounds (611), and 400 assists (400) in a career, joining Michigan State’s Steve Smith, and Penn State's Talor Battle. He left Purdue as the third highest scorer, trailing Rick Mount and Joe Barry Carroll.

Moore finished his career as a two-time First Team All-Big Ten and Second Team All-Big Ten Selection. Moore was also a two-time Honorable Mention All-American and NABC Third-team All-American (2011). The former Purdue guard holds program records for three-point field-goals made (243), games won (107), games played (140), and starts (137).

Moore also led Purdue in scoring in three of his four seasons (2008, 2009, 2010). Moore’s impressive career averages of 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists as well as shooting 44% from the field, 73% from the line, and 38% beyond the arc, will surely have Purdue fans arguing whether he’s the best guard to ever play at Purdue.

JaJuan Johnson (2007-2011)

JaJuan Johnson joins Hummel and Moore to complete the fantastic run the program had from 2007 to 2011. Under the three players guidance, the Boilermakers made the NCAA Tournament four times, reaching the Sweet Sixteen twice. The team also won a Big Ten Regular Season Championship in 2010.

Johnson was a major reason why the Boilermakers were successful from 2007 to 2011. Johnson finished his career at Purdue as the seventh highest scorer in school history with 1,919 points. His career average of 13.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2 blocks per game, shows just how much of a force he was on both ends of the floor.

Johnson not only excelled on the offensive end, but he was one of the better defensive players to play at Purdue. He finished 2nd in school history in career blocks with 263, as well as tallying 854 rebounds. The former Purdue big man finished his career with two First Team All-Big Ten Selections, one Second Team All-Big Selection and was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team three times. Johnson also earned Consensus First-Team All-American in 2011.

Caleb Swanigan (2015-2017)

We all know just how special Caleb Swanigan was in his two years in West Lafayette, but if you need a refresher, here it is. In his freshmen year, Swanigan set Purdue program season records for most rebounds (282), double-doubles (8), and rebounds per game (8.3).

As a sophomore, Swanigan continued to set records. He broke the school single season record for rebounds, surpassing Joe Barry Carroll's record. Swanigan also broke the single season record for double-doubles, recording 19 on the season. Swanigan’s outstanding year earned him Consensus First-Team All-American.

The dominant presence of Swanigan led to a Big Ten Regular Season Championship, two NCAA Tournament appearances and one Sweet Sixteen for the Boilermakers.

Honorable Mention: A.J. Hammons, Carl Landry