Morning Power Bar: Jon Leuer; Maryland Hire; NBA Playoffs

This is a weekly column for BTPowerhouse that will cover a variety of Big Ten topics that might not deserve a detailed breakdown, but deserve mention. It will be similar to a news roundup with more thoughts and analysis.

So, let’s jump into our Morning Power Bar.

1. Jon Leuer makes Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Badgers have had a lot of great players over the last few decades and Jon Leuer was certainly one of them. Well, Wisconsin recently announced Leuer had earned a spot in its Athletic Hall of Fame. It’s certainly a great honor for Leuer and his family.

And this comes just a year after Leuer’s formal retirement:

Leuer was a member of the All-Big Ten first team in 2011 and led the Badgers in scoring and rebounding as a junior and senior. Wisconsin made four straight NCAA Tournaments with him on the roster, including two Sweet 16 appearances.

2. Purdue remains steadfast.

This is probably a story that will fly under the radar, but in a world dominated by transfers and recruiting, Purdue continues to be the exception to the rule:

Perhaps it won’t matter when all’s said and done, but you have to be impressed with Purdue’s willingness to recruit and develop its own players. This has to be a major credit to Matt Painter and his staff.

3. Maryland hires Bruce Shingler.

We’ve seen plenty of coaching transition across the Big Ten this offseason and that continued for Maryland this month, as the program hired South Carolina assistant coach Bruce Shingler a little over a week ago. Shingler has roots to Maryland and should make a solid addition to the program’s recruiting. Fans will hope he can assist in keeping the region’s local talent at home.

4. NBA Playoffs continue on.

While the college basketball season wrapped up months ago, the NBA season continued this week and the Playoffs came even closer to their conclusion. And the Big Ten remains well represented with the following players still in action:

-Atlanta Hawks

• Bruno Fernando - Maryland
• Kevin Huerter - Maryland

-Brooklyn Nets

• N/A

-Los Angeles Clippers

• Amir Coffey - Minnesota
• Yogi Ferrell - Indiana
• Daniel Oturu - Minnesota

-Milwaukee Bucks

• N/A

-Philadelphia 76ers

• N/A

-Phoenix Suns

• E’Twaun Moore - Purdue
• Frank Kaminsky - Wisconsin
• Jalen Smith - Maryland

We’ll have to stay tuned and see if any of the Big Ten’s former players will be fortunate enough to be on a championship squad.

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