Dee Dee Williams had an announcement to make Tuesday night.
The senior, engaged to her longtime boyfriend, told the crowd at the women's basketball banquet that she was pregnant, expecting her own "little Boilermaker" soon.
It brought applause from Purdue fans, and a look of shock from her parents, seated near the back of the banquet hall. Few knew of the pregnancy.
Of course, it wasn't real, either; Tuesday was April Fool's Day.
"I'm glad it got the room to laugh," Williams said afterward. "I didn't know how everyone would take it. I'm glad it went how it went."
The plan arose among players during the ceremony to honor Purdue's 2013-14 team, which finished fourth in the Big Ten and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Williams said she's follow through, as long as KK Houser agreed to lead the crowd in a few seconds of Zumba, an exercise, at the start of her speech.
Williams said she couldn't bring herself to look at her mom as she pulled off the ruse.
"Not once," she said. "I knew she was probably going crazy."
The joke might have been the highlight of the couple-hour ceremony, which outlined the Boilermakers' season. Purdue succeeded often this season, Coach Sharon Versyp said, when others thought it would fail. And it overcame much, the death of Liza Clemons' fiance and two others close to the program, and Houser's season-ending injury.
"We knew we had great leadership, and that was the key to our success," Versyp said. "We had a leader go down, which is sad, especially being a senior. But you see how your team responds."
It responded well. Purdue handed out several awards:
* "Most Improved" was shared by Camille Redmon and Hayden Hamby.
* "Perseverance" to Whitney Bays, who has overcome multiple knee injuries.
* "Coaches" to Clemons.
* "Ruth Jones Memorial" to Williams.
* "Roger Blalock Memorial" to Courtney Moses, for her community involvement.
* And "Tom Reiter Memorial" - a new award this season, named after the longtime administrator and assistant coach who passed away - to Houser, for the pride she has shown in Purdue.
The seniors spoke to the more than 300 in attendance, a total that was at least near a record, if not best ever. Moses joked about her 15-plus minute speech at senior day, saying she was just going to say a general "thanks" to everyone this time around. But instead of that, she showed a video chronicling her time at Purdue.
Williams pulled off her prank, causing whispers amongst the crowd for the duration of her five minutes, and likely a heart-attack from her parents in the back.
Houser thanked the fans, saying "thanks for all the support and making me feel welcomed 11 hours away from home."
The senior, engaged to her longtime boyfriend, told the crowd at the women's basketball banquet that she was pregnant, expecting her own "little Boilermaker" soon.
It brought applause from Purdue fans, and a look of shock from her parents, seated near the back of the banquet hall. Few knew of the pregnancy.
Of course, it wasn't real, either; Tuesday was April Fool's Day.
"I'm glad it got the room to laugh," Williams said afterward. "I didn't know how everyone would take it. I'm glad it went how it went."
The plan arose among players during the ceremony to honor Purdue's 2013-14 team, which finished fourth in the Big Ten and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Williams said she's follow through, as long as KK Houser agreed to lead the crowd in a few seconds of Zumba, an exercise, at the start of her speech.
Williams said she couldn't bring herself to look at her mom as she pulled off the ruse.
"Not once," she said. "I knew she was probably going crazy."
The joke might have been the highlight of the couple-hour ceremony, which outlined the Boilermakers' season. Purdue succeeded often this season, Coach Sharon Versyp said, when others thought it would fail. And it overcame much, the death of Liza Clemons' fiance and two others close to the program, and Houser's season-ending injury.
"We knew we had great leadership, and that was the key to our success," Versyp said. "We had a leader go down, which is sad, especially being a senior. But you see how your team responds."
It responded well. Purdue handed out several awards:
* "Most Improved" was shared by Camille Redmon and Hayden Hamby.
* "Perseverance" to Whitney Bays, who has overcome multiple knee injuries.
* "Coaches" to Clemons.
* "Ruth Jones Memorial" to Williams.
* "Roger Blalock Memorial" to Courtney Moses, for her community involvement.
* And "Tom Reiter Memorial" - a new award this season, named after the longtime administrator and assistant coach who passed away - to Houser, for the pride she has shown in Purdue.
The seniors spoke to the more than 300 in attendance, a total that was at least near a record, if not best ever. Moses joked about her 15-plus minute speech at senior day, saying she was just going to say a general "thanks" to everyone this time around. But instead of that, she showed a video chronicling her time at Purdue.
Williams pulled off her prank, causing whispers amongst the crowd for the duration of her five minutes, and likely a heart-attack from her parents in the back.
Houser thanked the fans, saying "thanks for all the support and making me feel welcomed 11 hours away from home."
