Basketball means more to Purdue University, and Boilermaker fans everywhere. The greatest basketball coach of all time, John Wooden spent his playing days in West Lafayette. Plenty of historical figures have suited up for Purdue basketball. Not just players but a pair of outstanding coaches Gene Keady and Matt Painter have put Purdue in the same conversation as Michigan State’s Jud Heathcoate and Tom Izzo.
1932 saw Purdue win a National Championship long before the NCAA tournament began, but the Boilers have seen their fair share of deep tournament runs. Three final four appearances, including two runner-up finishes in 1969 and 2024. Purdue basketball remains one of the Big Ten’s most historic programs.
Let’s dive into this all-time Purdue lineup that is full of NCAA legends.
Purdue Basketball: Boilermakers All-Time Starting Lineup
Guard: Carsen Edwards
Coach Painter was trying to get a monkey off his back, when Carsen Edwards arrived in West Lafayette. Purdue had been in a drought in terms of deep postseason success at the time. Edwards was a high four-star recruit from Houston, Texas. He made a very important impact the minute he arrived on campus, as he started 21 of 35 games as a freshman. He quickly showcased his natural scoring ability that season.
That paved the way for two very important seasons in both 2017-18 and 2018-19. His major jump in his sophomore season saw him earn First-Team All-Big Ten and at the time he helped lead Purdue to a school-record 30-win season. The team finished second in the Big Ten regular season, before losing in the Big Ten Tournament Championship. That season however helped set a precedent at Purdue, as they would only get better. Edwards could have left, but he returned for his junior season in 2018-19 and showed off. Though MSU’s Cassius Winston was the class of the field in the Big Ten, Edwards was right behind him as both earned All-American honors.
Though Winston and company reached the final four, that season, Edwards and Purdue fell just short against eventual National Champion Virginia in the Elite 8. Following a great three-year Purdue career, that saw him score 1,920 points and make 281 career three-pointers, Edwards went pro. He was taken with the 33rd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, where spent three seasons between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, before going abroad. Edwards is a current member of Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague. Despite his college success not quite translating to the NBA, Edwards is still remembered as a player who helped build the Boilermakers into a yearly contender.
Guard: Rick Mount
This next guard, you have to go way back to remember how important he was for Purdue. A local kid, Rick Mount stayed in-state to play for the Boilermakers. Mount was a very successful high school player, in fact in 1966 he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Better known by his nickname Rick ‘the rocket’ Mount, helped put Purdue basketball back to an elite level they hadn’t seen since the 1930s.
During his dazzling four-year Purdue career, Mount received plenty of individual accolades, along with helping the Boilermakers make their first-ever Final Four trip. That came during his junior season, when he scored 932 points, and the Boilermakers reached the National Championship Game. They came up short losing by 20 to Wooden’s UCLA squad. Still, it was a very memorable moment for Purdue and Mount alike.
Mount was a two-time consensus First-Team All-American (1969, 1970), and a two-time Big Ten Silver Basketball Award winner, so pretty much the best player in the Big Ten at the time. Mount left Purdue as the all-time leading scorer with 2,323 points. A record that has since been broken, but just last year, by another member of this all-time team. Mount still ranks seventh all-time in Big Ten scoring history. Despite being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, Mount made his pro name in the ABA, where he won the championship in 1972 with the Indiana Pacers. His Purdue No. 1 Jersey will be remembered forever.
Forward: Glenn Robinson
Glenn Robinson was born to be a star, and it’s only natural that he only spent two seasons in West Lafayette. Had Robinson played longer, he probably would have had an untouchable number of records across several different stats. Robinson was a day-one scorer, and he proved that during his Purdue career. The Big Ten had made a name for high-level scorers, during his era, with the likes of Steve Smith and Shawn Respert donning the Green and White at Michigan State. Michigan has the likes of Chris Webber. Indiana was still very competitive, but Robinson was something else.
He was the Indiana Mr. Basketball in 1991 and was a McDonald’s All-American. His Purdue career could have easily disappeared, as he missed his freshman season because of academics, and “Big Dog” could’ve easily been a bust. That didn’t stop him as he quickly exploded in 1992-93 averaging 24.1 points per game. For his accomplishments that season, Robinson was first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American.
In his final season at Purdue in 1993-94, Robinson hit the ground running and didn’t look back. He averaged over 30 points and 11 rebounds that season and led the Boilermakers to the Elite 8. He took home everything that year, winning all the major National Player of the Year Awards. Robinson was truly blessed with the gift of basketball. His terrific career at Purdue, led to him being the No. 1 pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. He spent 11 seasons in the NBA and was fortunate to win an NBA Title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005, his final season. Robinson’s legacy carried on in Big Ten History when his son Glenn Robinson III played at Michigan, and later in the NBA.
Forward: Joe Barry Carroll
From one No. 1 overall pick to another. Joe Barry Carroll was a key player for the Boilermakers during a time when Purdue was just trying to get back to national relevance. The seven-footer from Denver, Colorado is a very interesting story, as he was a big-time scorer and rebounder coming out of high school. He certainly hadn’t been well-known outside of Purdue until his first nationally televised game against in-state rival Indiana amid the Big Ten slate.
He didn’t disappoint as a freshman, as he registered a triple-double that season when he scored 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 blocks. Carroll’s natural shot-blocking ability was truly outstanding. He averaged no less than two blocks a game all four of his seasons at Purdue, not to mention being a double-digit scorer and rebounder. He helped get Purdue back into National Title contention in his junior and senior seasons, as the Boilermakers reached the NIT Championship in 1978-79. Before reaching the Final Four in 1980. Where they once again were ousted by UCLA. Carroll left Purdue as the all-time blocks leader and now sits second all-time in rebounds.
His terrific Purdue career, led to him being the Number One pick in the 1980 NBA Draft. He had a bit of a bumpy pro career but spent 12 seasons in the NBA. A majority of which were with the Warriors. The one-time NBA All-Star certainly had quite a rise from almost out of nowhere. He soon won’t be forgotten in West Lafayette, as Big Men are special at Purdue.
Center: Zach Edey
Purdue and Coach Painter needed to find another gem big-man a boy did they in Canada’s Zach Edey. Painter had found other big-post players previously with players like AJ Hammons, Caleb Swanigan, and Isaac Haas. Edey is like a machine. The seven-foot-four center who played high school at IMG Academy was certainly overlooked by everyone else. They missed out because Edey turned into one of the best bigs in the history of College Basketball.
This guy took home all the accolades during his four-year Purdue career. He could score, defend, and rebound. Edey was not that bad of a passing big either. He helped lead Purdue to three Big Ten Championships, two regular season titles, and one tournament championship. His senior season saw him help lead Purdue to the Final Four for the first time since 1980. The Boilermakers reached the National Championship Game but fell short against a stacked UConn Huskies team. Still, Edey was the best player on the court every night he took the floor for Purdue.
He dominated the awards winning back-to-back National Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024. It’s hard to deny that Edey was the best player these last few years. He Left Purdue as the all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 2,516 points and 1,321 rebounds. He’s a once-in-a-generation college player. Edey’s No. 15 jersey won’t soon be forgotten in the history of the Big Ten. He was the ninth overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies this past summer in the 2024 NBA Draft. There’s no telling what this giant can do as a pro.
See Previous All-Time Big Ten Teams Below:
