WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – CBS Sports activities has chosen Braden Smith as its preseason Nationwide Participant of the Yr, whereas Trey Kaufman-Renn joined him on the preseason All-American first crew, the group introduced Tuesday.
In the future after being a unanimous choice to the Related Press preseason All-America Workforce, Smith racked up one other honor by CBS Sports activities. Kaufman-Renn, who earned votes on the AP crew, was additionally chosen to the primary crew, giving the Boilermakers two of the 5 spots on the primary crew.
No program has had two first-team All-People since Duke’s R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson had been chosen following the 2018-19 season.
The duo was joined by Texas Tech’s J.T. Toppin, UCLA’s Donovan Dent and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson.
Smith, a senior guard from Westfield, Indiana, is the lone returning first-team All-American within the nation after averaging 15.8 factors, 8.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds a yr in the past. He gained the Cousy Award because the nation’s prime level guard final season and has 1,375 factors, 758 assists and 535 rebounds in his three seasons at Purdue. He’s the one participant in Large Ten historical past, and one in every of 16 gamers in NCAA historical past, to have even 1,300 profession factors, 700 assists and 500 rebounds, and he has a full season to play.
Smith wants simply 125 factors and 242 assists to turn out to be the primary participant in NCAA historical past with 1,500 factors, 1,000 assists and 500 rebounds.
In the meantime, Kaufman-Renn, a senior ahead from Sellersburg, Indiana, was voted to the crew after averaging 20.1 factors, 6.5 rebounds and a pair of.2 assists a yr whereas capturing slightly below 60 % the sphere. Kaufman-Renn, a first-team All-Large Ten honoree a yr in the past, is the one returning high-major participant nationally from final season to common at the least 20 factors, six rebounds and two assists per recreation.
Kaufman-Renn has scored in double-figures in eight straight video games and completed final yr with 723 factors, the Tenth-most factors scored by a Purdue participant in class historical past. He had 12, 20-point video games within the final 15 contests final season.
Purdue opens its exhibition season on Oct. 24, when it travels to Rupp Area to face Kentucky. The regular-season opener is Nov. 4, when Evansville visits Mackey Area.
