By JOSH BODE
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Purdue guard Braden Smith set the Purdue all-time assist record on Friday night against UCLA.
He passed Bruce Parkinson for the top spot in Boilermaker history. Parkinson played for Purdue from 1972-1977 and had 690 assists in his Purdue career. His record stood for 48 years.
Smith has led the Big Ten in assists for the past two seasons. Heading into Friday’s game, he was second in the country in assists (243) and assists per game (8.7).
He also led all of Division I basketball last season in total assists with 292.
He was able to break the record in less than three seasons in West Lafayette. He has the two highest season totals for assists in Purdue history.
Former Purdue star Zach Edey knew he was an incredible passer from the moment he first saw Smith play at Purdue.
“He’s going to hit you right on target,” Edey said. “He’s going to throw a good pass. I think that’s kind of underrated. A lot of people can make the pass, but not a lot of people can make that pass accurately in a pocket, and he can. So, it’s special, what he does.”
Before Friday’s game, Smith was averaging 15.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game this season. He’s shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from three-point range.
Smith is a Westfield native, and was the 2022 Indiana Mr. Basketball winner.
This story originally appeared on WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/braden-smith-breaks-purdue-basketball-all-time-assists-record/