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Robbie Hummel of Purdue wins the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for men’s basketball

March 30, 2012

NEW ORLEANS – Purdue All-American Robbie Hummel has been selected as the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner in NCAA® Division I men’s basketball. The announcement and trophy presentation were made today by Lowe’s, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, during the open practice sessions of Final Four® Friday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I men’s basketball head coaches, national media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I men’s basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

“I’m extremely humbled to win this award. I have great parents who raised me to do things the right way, and I’m so grateful to them. It’s also a testament to my coaches and teammates at Purdue for helping shape my life as I was becoming an adult,” Hummel said. “I’ve always tried to do things the right way and be a good guy. Coach Painter tells us that the air will eventually come out of the ball and how we conduct ourselves on and off the court is extremely important. It feels great to be recognized with a great group of people for living up to that standard.”

A management major with a 3.0-plus grade point average, Hummel frequently takes part in trips to local elementary schools and preschools to read to students in an effort to promote literacy. He and his teammates have also volunteered at a public lunch program for disadvantaged youth in Lafayette and conducted skills clinics for Special Olympics in Indianapolis.

“Guys like Rob Hummel don’t come around very often, but as a coach, you wish you had 10 of him. Rob is the epitome of a class act. He was first-team All-Big Ten as a freshman, and after the season, he told me he’d have been happy if he had played 10 minutes,” head coach Matt Painter said. “He showed up every day wanting nothing more than to help Purdue win, and we couldn’t have asked for a better representative of our program on or off the court.”

Hummel is a three-time All-Big Ten first-team member and was a second-team all-American as a freshman. He finished his career with 1,772 points and 862 rebounds and helped lead the Boilermakers to four NCAA tournaments, including two Sweet 16 appearances.

“Robbie’s college athletics career has been a story of tremendous perseverance and determination,” said David Geren, Lowe’s vice president of marketing. “He is always striving for excellence in all areas of his life, not just as an athlete but in the classroom and community. It’s those values that Lowe’s is excited to celebrate with this award.”

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