Former Boiler Zach Edey Gives Advice to 2025 John Wooden Award Candidates
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Zach Edey knows a thing or two about being a finalist for a major college basketball award. So, with the John Wooden Award releasing its list of top-20 candidates for the prestigious honor, the former Purdue superstar and two-time National Player of the Year has some of advice for players.
"I say just do what you do," Edey said. "Don't worry about the award, don't worry about how you end the season, just keep going. Focus on every game, focus on having the biggest impact you can every game. It'll kind of sort itself out. But you want to win games in the meantime."
@zach_edey shares some advice to the players up for this years Wooden Award presented by @principal
— John R. Wooden Award (@WoodenAward) February 13, 2025
Zach won the Wooden Award back to back in 2023 and 2024! pic.twitter.com/UnMXdc7Cag
Edey was the winner of the Wooden Award each of the past two seasons, taking home the honor in 2023 and 2024. He was particularly dominant in his senior seasons, averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game. Edey led the Boilermakers to a Big Ten regular season title and a trip to the National Championship Game.
This season, one of Edey's former teammates — Braden Smith — is among the 20 candidates on the list for the Wooden Award at season's end. The junior guard is averaging 16.4 points, 8.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.
Below is the complete list of candidates on the midseason watch list for the 2025 Wooden Award.
2025 John Wooden Award Midseason Watch List
- Ace Bailey, Rutgers
- Johni Broome, Auburn
- Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
- Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
- Eric Dixon, Villanova
- Cooper Flagg, Duke
- Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
- PJ Haggerty, Memphis
- Dylan Harper, Rutgers
- Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
- Curtis Jones, Iowa State
- Kam Jones, Marquette
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
- Alex Karaban, UConn
- Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
- Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga
- Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
- Mark Sears, Alabama
- Javon Small, West Virginia
- Braden Smith, Purdue
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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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