Rosemont, ill. – Big Ten’s male basketball students continue to be recognized for their performances this season, while Braden Smith by Purdue and Trey Kaufman-Renn joined John Tonje de Wisconsin with American distinctions this week.
On Wednesday, all three were appointed to the CBS Sports All-America team, while Smith and Tonje were appointed to the male team of John R. Wooden Award on Tuesday evening.
CBS Sports included Smith in his first team, while Tonje and Kaufman-Renn won the team’s second and third honors respectively.
In addition, Smith was appointed to the finalist of the Top 5 of John R. Wooden Award for the Wooden Award® for the most remarkable player in the United States. He marked the third consecutive season that a boilermaker was an All-American prize and finalist of the wooden prize after Zach Edey won the prize after the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
A consensus First Team All-American, Smith collected an average of 15.8 points per match and ranked second in the country with 8.7 assists. This season, the Junior Guard has set the Big Ten record for assists at a conference only with 175, breaking the previous record set by Cassius Winston (157) from Michigan State (157) – Almost an assist per match.
Smith had 13 games of 10 passes or more this season and 22 games of 10 or more assists for his career. His 22 career games of 10 or more assists are the most in the history of the Big Ten. The 22, 10 assistants are the fourth most by a player in his junior season or less in the past 20 years, behind Kendall Marshall (23) from Kay Felder from Oakland, and JA MORANT (23) from North Carolina.
Tonje led the badgers and ranked fourth at the Big Ten with 19.6 points per game, while obtaining 5.3 rebounds per competition, good for the second place of the team. Tonje ended his season with 724 points, the second biggest point in a single season with a badger, exceeding 716 points from Aando Tucker during the 2006-07 season.
Tonje is one of the five major players of the conference in the past 30 years to accumulate at least 600 points, 150 rebounds, 200 feet and 80 3FGS, joining Kevin during Texas (2007), Jabari Brown from Missouri (2014), Uconn’s Shabazer Napier (2014), Duke’s Grayson Allen (2015).
Kaufman-Renn was appointed unanimous winner of the first All-Big Ten team after an average of 20.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per match while firing 59.5% on the field. The junior striker scored in two figures in 35 of the 36 games and exceeded 20 points 19 times, including a pair of 30 -point matches.
Kaufman-Renn has become the 29th player in NCAA history for an average of at least 20 points, six rebounds, two assists and shoot 59% on the field. He was only the third Big Ten player in the history of the League to reach these brands, joining Evan Eschmeyer from Northwestern (1998) and Zach Edey de Purdue (2024).
The Wooden Award’s winner and the best members of the All America team will be honored at Los Angeles Athletic Club “John R. Wooden Awards Show presented by the main” Streaming on ESPN + Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m. East / 5 p.m.
Click here to display the full list of CBS SPORTS ALL-AMERICA honors.
Click here to display the full list of John R. Wooden Award All-America honors.