College Basketball

Purdue Basketball: Caleb Swanigan deserves to be in the mix for POY

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:24 p.m. ET

Fansided, Michael Foy/FanSided via Busting Brackets

It is time to start considering Purdue basketball’s Caleb Swanigan as a National Player of the Year candidate.

It’s time we start seriously giving Caleb Swanigan some legitimate Player of the Year recognition. Not just in terms of the Big Ten, but nationally. It is clear that Swanigan is the front runner to be the Big Ten Player of the Year, but he should truly be in the discussion for National Player of the Year.

Swanigan is living up to the hype he garnered as the first McDonald’s All-American to commit to Purdue since 1996. On the year, the sophomore forward is averaging 18.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game, all while leading Purdue to an 11-2 start and the number 15 ranking.

Everyone in West Lafayette is aware of what he is capable of and how great he truly is. Now, it is time for the nation to take notice and it appears that they have.

Caleb Swanigan & Blake Griffin are the only major conference players with back-to-back 20-point, 20-rebound games in the last 20 seasons. pic.twitter.com/lWOvfB1qI7

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 22, 2016

Back-to-back 20-20 games will do that, and the attention is well deserved. The reason Swanigan is flourishing this year? A work ethic that is unparalleled.

Purdue PF Biggie Swanigan in the weight room tonight right after playing 38 min Who does that? NOBODY WORKS HARDER! @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/CKOH4dxKTQ

— Eric Vaughn (@evgeeker) November 19, 2016

I mean just look at the video. The guy pours his entire self into being the best he can possibly be.

If you don’t know the story about Caleb Swanigan, the once 6-2, 360 pound eighth-grader nicknamed “Biggie,” then you don’t know how his upbringing could be defined as anything but easy. He grew up in and out of homeless shelters in Utah, while his father was a crack cocaine addict who was in and out of his life.

His older brother was once an Ole Miss basketball player before dropping out and losing his eye as a result of gun violence. Caleb’s brother saw that his younger brother needed an out and decided to call a former mentor, Roosevelt Barnes, in Indiana to take him in and watch over him.

Swanigan moved in with Barnes and committed his life to basketball. He attended speed and agility classes, 6 a.m. cardio sessions before school, ball handling and shooting drills after school and additional cardio before bed.

It looked like everything was looking up until Swanigan was investigated by the NCAA after he chose the school his mentor once played football for.

Now Swanigan is at Purdue and is rewriting the record books. Swanigan has battled through a lot in his life and won’t let anything stand in his way of becoming the best basketball player he can. He’s proven the doubters wrong before and he will continue to do so throughout his career.