2/18/2023
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue men’s basketball head coach Matt Painter is one of 15 coaches tabbed to Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year late-season watch list, announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday.
Painter is one of two Big Ten coaches on the list, joined by Northwestern head coach Chris Collins.
Candidates not included can still make their way on to the 10 semifinalists list, which will be announced on Thursday, March 9. The Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year award will be narrowed to four finalists on Monday, March 20. The final round includes an opportunity for consumers to participate through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike’s, which accounts for 5% of the total vote and runs from March 21-28. The winner will be announced on Sunday, April 2, at the Naismith Awards Brunch presented by Frost Bank at the Final Four in Houston.
Projected as a middle of the pack team in the Big Ten this season, the Boilermakers currently sit atop the Big Ten standings with a 12-4 record and are 23-4 overall. Purdue started the year 13-0, rising to No. 1 in the national rankings for the second straight year after never being ranked No. 1 previously in school history. The Boilermakers have played almost half their games this year as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, spending seven weeks atop the poll so far.
Purdue started the year with a bang, winning the prestigious Phil Knight Legacy with wins over NCAA Tournament-bound teams West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke – the last two coming by 19 points each. Purdue is second in the country in quad-1 wins (9) and quad-1 and quad-2 wins combined (13) behind just Kansas and figure to be in the running for the program’s fourth No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed in school history.
Painter has accomplished all of this while likely boasting the National Player of the Year in Zach Edey and with two freshman guards in the backcourt in Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer that are accounting for over 21 points per game and about seven assists per outing.
Purdue will close the season with home contests in three of its last four games, starting Sunday against Ohio State at 1 p.m. ET.
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