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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 22 • 8 BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com A.J. Hammons never thought about it. Scoring 1,000 points in col- lege was never a goal. "I just wanted to come here and do what I needed to do to make sure I got to the level I needed to," Hammons said before Purdue's Tuesday practice. But now that it's quickly ap- proaching — he's only three points away — it's not such a bad accomplishment to think about. Hammons had to be told first, though, that it was coming. And that didn't happen until his brother did that last week. "I guess that's an achieve- ment in three years. Is that an achievement?" Hammons said, admitting he doesn't keep a close watch on career stats or Purdue's record book. After he's told he would join a list that includes 47 other Purdue players, Hammons' eyes open bigger, and he quickly says, "OK, that's pretty good." With at least five games remaining — four regular season and at least one in the Big Ten Tournament — it's possible Hammons could move past current Boiler - maker assistant video coor- dinator Kenny Lowe (1,079). Maybe 1,000 points wasn't a goal, but 1,080 is now. "I got to beat Lowe," Hammons said, smiling. "I think I can do it." In part because of his scoring, Hammons was named the Big Ten Player- of-the-Week on Monday. Though the Boilermakers played only one game dur - ing the week, they got a big victory and Hammons played a major role. He scored 20 points — and also had four rebounds and four blocks — in a 67-63 win at Indiana Thursday. It was only the second 20-point game of M E N ' S BA S K E T BA L L : N E W S A N D N OT E S Tom Campbell A.J. Hammons' effort against Indiana in Purdue's only game last week earned him the Big Ten's Player-of- the-Week award, the first time a Boilermaker won since 2012. Hammons Closing In On 1,000 For Season Stats Click Here www.MeetYouAtArnis.com LAFAYETTE • INDIANAPOLIS • GREENWOOD Visit one of our 18 Indiana locations Meet You At Arni's TM Celebrates Purdue's Student-Athletes SERVING BOILER FANS FOR 50 YEARS World Famous Pizza, Salads, Sandwiches Jason Tretter RS Freshman, Major in Biology Tretter, an offensive lineman from Richfield, Ohio, was one of 20 football players to be named Academic All-Big Ten on Dec. 10. Seventy-one Purdue student-athletes received academic recognition, eclipsing last fall's total of 64. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners, in at least their second year at their institution and carry a GPA of at least 3.0. Women's cross country was second only to football with number of honorees with 19. Women's soccer followed with 16, men's cross country had 11 and the volleyball team had five. PRESENTS vertime