A.J. Hammons could be poised to become one of the best post players in the Big Ten, but he will get a late start.
Purdue announced on Monday that its sophomore center will miss the first three games of the season due to a violation of team rules.
“A.J. has been suspended for the first three games of this season for conduct not representative of this program or university,” Boilermakers coach Matt Painter said in a statement. “We expect the young men in our program to meet certain standards, and they must be held accountable when those standards are not met.”
Hammons will miss the Boilermakers’ two exhibition games, along with the team’s season opener against Northern Kentucky on Oct. 8.
The 7-foot center averaged 10.6 points and 6.0 rebounds last season, being named to the Big Ten all-freshman team.