For nearly 20 years, Matt Painter has been the head coach at Purdue. During his time in West Lafayette, Painter has made a name for himself developing big men. Even this year, there is a new prospect, Oscar Cluff, who came in from the transfer portal. Here are the 5 best centers of the Matt Painter era at Purdue.
5. Isaac Haas
The first entry on the list is Isaac Haas. Although he doesn’t have the accolades of some other players on this list, Haas was a very good player for Matt Painter. He was a solid scorer and even found himself on an All-Big Ten Team his senior year. However, he is most known for being the running mate of Boilermaker legend, Carsen Edwards. These two brought Purdue to the Elite Eight for the first time in the Painter era and started the run of dominance we are witnessing today.
4. AJ Hammons
A forgotten legend, AJ Hammons was a great player for Purdue. During his four years in West Lafayette, he averaged double figures the entire time. However, he was much more notable for his defense. He was a Big Ten All-Defense selection three times and was even the Defensive Player of the Year in his senior season. Unfortunately, his career lacked team success as the Boilermakers did not win any conference titles or make any deep March Madness runs during his career. After his four years, Hammons was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks.
3. JaJuan Johnson
The oldest player on this list, JaJuan Johnson, was the first elite center under Matt Painter. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year and a consensus All-American in 2011. Additionally, he was an All-Big Ten selection three times, twice on the first team. He also had tremendous postseason success, leading the Boilermakers to two Sweet Sixteens during his tenure. He was a first-round draft pick in 2011.
2. Caleb Swanigan
Caleb Swanigan was not always a center, but he was for enough games to count for this list. Swanigan had a strong career at Purdue. He made the freshman All-Big Ten Team and was later named to the All-Conference and All-American teams as a sophomore. He averaged a double-double in his career before he was drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft in 2017.
1. Zach Edey
The easiest choice on the list is Zach Edey. He is far and away the best Purdue center of the last 20 years and could even be considered the best player during this time. Edey won the Wooden Award twice, led Purdue to a Final Four and national championship appearance, led the nation in scoring his senior year, and much more. Additionally, he was drafted in the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies and has been a solid NBA player. Edey is truly a once-in-a-generation player and is undoubtedly the best Purdue center of the Matt Painter era.