Purdue's Brandon Newman Wins Big Ten Freshman of the Week Award Again
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – It looks like the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week award has decided to reside at Purdue this season.
Brandon Newman, a 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman from Valparaiso, Ind., won the award this week thanks to a 29-point outburst on Saturday night in the 81-62 win over then No. 21-ranked Minnesota. It was the second time he's won the award this season, also claiming the honor on Jan. 18.
It's the fifth time that a Purdue freshman has won the award this year. Hunter Dickinson of Michigan has won the award five times, but no other freshman in the league has been honored outside of the Purdue guys.
Here's the list of winners so far this season:
Freshmen of the Week
- Nov. 30 – Zach Edey, Purdue center and Adam Miller, Illinois guard
- Dec. 7 – Hunter Dickinson, Michigan center
- Dec. 14 – Hunter Dickinson, Michigan center
- Dec. 21 – Mason Gillis, Purdue forward
- Dec. 28 – Hunter Dickinson, Michigan center
- Jan. 4 – Hunter Dickinson, Michigan center
- Jan. 11 – Hunter Dickinson, Michigan center
- Jan. 18 – Brandon Newman, Purdue guard
- Jan. 25 – Jaden Ivey, Purdue guard
- Feb. 1 – Brandon Newman, Purdue guard
Newman's 29 points were a career high. He also had six rebounds and two steals, helping the Boilermakers erase a 14-point first-half deficit and then win going away. He made 5-of-6 three pointers, and in the second half. It was the most three-pointers in a game by a Purdue freshman.
His 29 points marked the fourth-most by a Boilermaker freshman in program history and the second-most in Mackey Arena. The last Purdue freshman to score 29-plus points in a game was A.J. Hammons (30 points vs. Indiana, Jan. 30, 2013).
Purdue plays Maryland on Tuesday night in College Park. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. ET
Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu was the Big Ten's Player of the Week. He had 25 points in Illinois' big win over Iowa. It was his second honor this year, and the fourth of his career.
Dosunmu and the Illini play Indiana on Tuesday night in Bloomington, with tipoff at 9 p.m. ET
Players of the Week
- Nov. 30 – Luka Garza, Iowa senior center
- Dec. 7 – Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana sophomore forward
- Dec. 14 – Luka Garza, Iowa, and Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois junior guard
- Dec. 21 – Boo Buie, Northwestern sophomore guard
- Dec. 28 – Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois and Marcus Carr, Minnesota junior guard
- Jan. 4 – Liam Robbins, Minnesota junior center
- Jan. 11 – Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana, and Jordan Bohannon, Iowa senior guard
- Jan. 18 – Trevion Williams, Purdue junior center, and Liam Robbins, Minnesota
- Jan. 25 – Isaiah Livers, Michigan senior forward
- Feb. 1 – Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois guard
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who's worked at some America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Indianapolis Star. He also owns the book publishing company, Hilltop30 Publishing Group, and he has written four books and published 16 others.