Former Indiana Coach Gives Huge Shoutout to Purdue Guard Braden Smith

Tom Crean, who coached at Indiana from 2008-17, sang the praises of Purdue senior guard Braden Smith with a complimentary post on social media this week.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) makes a face | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

How good is Purdue guard Braden Smith? It's August, and already former Indiana coach Tom Crean is giving the senior star major props with a post on social media.

Smith, who was the Big Ten Player of the Year and the Bob Cousy Award winner in the 2024-25 season, is undoubtedly one of the best point guards in the country entering the 2025-26 campaign. That's not just a writer's opinion, either. Crean essentially said the same thing in a post shared on X on Tuesday.

"I would pay scalper prices in front of Mackey to sit in the upper deck to watch Braden Smith play for (Purdue)," Crean wrote on X. "He is WITHOUT equal in (college basketball) and is the best point guard from the state of Indiana since Yogi Ferrell. Braden is pure SPECIAL!"

Crean certainly had an eye for talent across his coaching career at Marquette, Indiana, and Georgia. He had the opportunity to coach players like Dwyane Wade, Victor Oladipo, Cody Zller, Yogi Ferrell, and Anthony Edwards (and many more) during his career.

For Crean to provide such high praise to Smith is quite the compliment.

Smith has already cemented his legacy in West Lafayette. He's the program's all-time assist leader, has scored more than 1,000 career points and has collected more than 500 rebounds. Last year, Smith averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game, earning first-team All-America honors.

Heading into the 2025-26 season, Purdue is one of the favorites to win the national championship and Smith is a prime candidate to claim National Player of the Year honors.

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