Braden Smith: Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith announces return to Matt Painter's Purdue in social media reveal

Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith announces return to Matt Painter's Purdue in social media reveal

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional-Purdue at Houston - Source: Imagn

Purdue star guard Braden Smith is returning to the Boiler Nation for his senior season. He announced his return to Purdue via a social media post on Monday.

The Big Ten Player of the Year had a sensational campaign with the Boilermakers. He is keen to guide his team to another deep run in the NCAA tournament next season.

"Running it back, one last time," Braden Smith wrote in his Instagram post. "Purdue has given me everything : memories, challenges, growth and a family. There's still more to prove, more to accomplish, and more moments to create with my brothers. Much love to my guys and Boiler Nation! Let's make this next year unforgettable!"

Purdue reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament last season. They lost to runners up Houston Cougars in a nerve-wracking clash that ended 62-60. Braden Smith registered 15 assists in that game whilst scoring seven points.

Braden Smith will the epicentre of Purdue's men's basketball program for next season

Bradden Smith will have to take on massive responsibilities in the upcoming season. The young guard was already Purdue's most important player and now the expectations will be even higher.

Smith was named to the first team All-American as he ended the campaign with sensational numbers. He averaged 15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, staggering 8.7 asissts and 2.2 steals per game. His assists numbers were the second-best in the country.

Courtesy of his efforts, Braden Smith won the Bob Cousy Award for being the best point guard in the country. He had a big season, scoring 20+ points in nine Big Ten Games. His 31-point game against Iowa and consecutive 24-pointers against Michigan and Indiana prove his prowess as a player.

He also featured in the entirety of the 40 minutes on court for Purdue during their three NCAA Tournament games. He did his best in the defeat against Houston with his flurry of assists.

Smith will be a crucial piece in Matt Painter's program as Purdue aims to soar higher in the upcoming campaign.

About the author

Atrayo Bhattacharya is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over seven years of experience in the field. He holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has worked for Khel Now, Sportz Interactive, Sports Rush and Newsbytes.

Atrayo follows Football, Cricket, NBA, Tennis, F1 and World Athletics and is a big fan of Bayern Munich and the Boston Celtics. He also supports the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.

On the college scene, the Duke Blue Devils are Atrayo's favorite college team. They have an incredible legacy in the NCAA and Atrayo's favorite player, Jayson Tatum, came out of Duke.

Atrayo has interviewed quite a few international footballers like Roman Weidenfeller, Lothar Matthaus, Jens Lehmann, and Sarpreet Singh other than interviewing several personalities from the Indian Football Ecosystem.

When he is not watching or writing sports, Atrayo is either playing games or binge-watching a new TV series.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash