Braden Smith Focused on Purdue's Return to Final Four, Not Player of the Year
ROSEMONT, Ill — There's a lot of attention on Purdue junior guard Braden Smith entering the 2024-25 college basketball season. The All-Big Ten player was tabbed as the conference's preseason Player of the Year and the only unanimous preseason All-Big Ten selection by media.
While Smith is certainly flattered by the preseason accolades, he said it doesn't really mean that much. His focus isn't on winning an individual award — although that would be nice. His primary goal is leading Purdue to another conference championship and a return to the Final Four.
"I was definitely excited, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really mean a whole lot to me," Smith said in an interview with NCAA.com's Andy Katz. "I'd rather win the actual thing, not just get nominated for something.
"I think winning games, winning a Big Ten championship again, for the third year in a row, and getting to the Final Four is more important to me than that."
“I think winning the Big Ten again… and getting to the Final Four is more important to me.” 😤
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) October 4, 2024
Braden Smith, named preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, says the Boilermakers have much bigger goals on their mind this season 👀 @TheAndyKatz pic.twitter.com/ZWZzYbBX3f
Smith is coming off a season in which he averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game for the Boilermakers. He was the maestro of a team that finished 34-5 and reached the National Championship Game.
Smith — along with teammates Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn — is two-for-two in winning a Big Ten regular season title. Although the Boilers lost key pieces in Zach Edey, Mason Gillis and Lance Jones, they were the media's selection to win the league for a third consecutive season.
Like Smith, Purdue coach Matt Painter doesn't read too much into the preseason hype.
"It's great when people pick you to win your league," he said, "but it really means nothing."
Purdue's last "three-peat" came under Gene Keady, winning consecutive conference championships from 1994-96. Can the Boilers accomplish the same feat nearly 30 years later?
That's the primary focus for Smith and his teammates.
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