Purdue National Champion Inducted into Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
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Mary Jo Noon has earned a permanent spot as an Indiana basketball star. The former Purdue forward and a member of the 1999 national championship team was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame over the weekend.
Noon was a standout high school player at Jeffersonville High School in the 1990s. She scored 1,368 points, grabbed 818 rebounds and blocked 167 shots. As a senior during the 1997-98 season, Noon averaged 25.2 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.
Following her senior season, Noon was named a Nike All-American and earned Indiana All-State honors.
Inductee Highlight | Mary Jo Noon 🏀
— Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame (@HoopsHall) April 21, 2026
A dominant 6-foot-5 center at Jeffersonville, Noon totaled 1,368 points, 818 rebounds, and 167 blocks in 77 games, leading the Red Devils to a 21-3 record along with sectional and regional titles.
As a senior, she averaged 25.2 points and… pic.twitter.com/vwHFN0kZK4
Noon redshirted in her first season at Purdue during the 1998-99 season. That team finished the season with a 34-1 record and won the 1999 national championship, becoming the first Big Ten team to accomplish that feat.
Two years later, Noon played a role on a Purdue team that again competed for a national championship. The Boilermakers went 31-7 and reached the National Championship Game for a second time in three seasons.
Purdue was unable to claim a second national title, falling to Notre Dame in the title game.
Noon had a much bigger role during her final two seasons in West Lafayette. She helped Purdue win a Big Ten championship in 2002 and a Big Ten Tournament title in 2003. As a senior with the Boilermakers, Noon averaged 11 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
During her time at Purdue, Noon scored 1,008 points, pulled down 483 rebounds and blocked 88 shots. She was then selected in the third round of the 2003 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.
Noon was twice an All-Big Ten honorable mention during her time at Purdue.
Noon won every year at Purdue
Noon was at Purdue during one of the best eras in program history. The Boilermakers won at a high level every year she was on campus.
The Boilermakers won Big Ten regular season championships in 1999, 2001 and 2002. The team also won conference tournament titles in 1999, 2000 and 2003. Purdue played in the NCAA Tournament every year, winning the national championship in 1999 and reaching the title game again in 2001.
Including her redshirt year in 1998-99, Noon was part of a program that posted a 141-28 record and a .834 winning percentage.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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