Zach Edey's Week of 'Big Man Battles' Continues Thursday Night at Michigan

Purdue's big man on campus, the 7-foot-4 Canadian center Zach Edey, was a guest on the Sasha Live! podcast this week, and he talked about his growth as a player, how much he likes banging against the other bigs in the league, and how much he's learned from teammate Trevion Williams.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Purdue has worked its way back to the top of the Big Ten standings, winning six games in a row. They've been big wins, too, and all the ''big'' guys in the Big Ten.

Purdue sophomore center Zach Edey, all 7-foot-4 of him, has been the center of attention, too. He and big man partner Trevion Williams have been exceptional during the winning streak, winning the battles against some of the league's best centers. They're in a stretch right now where they've seen a lot of Illinois' Kofi Cockburn and Michigan's Hunter Dickinson.

Purdue just played Michigan on Sunday, winning 82-76 in West Lafayette. They do battle again Thursday night in Ann Arbor.

The big Canadian was a guest on the Sasha Live! podcast on Monday and the pair was very entertaining in the 45-minute show. Sports Illustrated Purdue publisher and podcast host Tom Brew, who's 5-foot-11 and has a lot of Florida roots, even broke out a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey jersey for the Edey interview.

 Here are the highlights of Zach's interview. You can watch the entire podcast below:

— Zach on growth of team

"It's been a great year. There's some games we'd like to have back, but looking back to last year with basically the same team, it's really cool to see how much better we're playing.''

— Zach on getting better WITH Trevion Williams

"Going against an all-Big Ten level player basically from the minute I got on campus has been great. We go at it hard basically every day in practice, and we've damn near fought a few times. There aren't many centers at Trevion's level, so to go against him every day in practice propels both of us, really.

— Sasha on his improvement

"Just seeing his growth from one year to another has been great to see. You see how big he is, but he always puts in the work too, both before practice and after practice. He's worked on his ballhandling and his shot, and we rely on him a lot. Seeing his growth all summer meant a lot, and playing on the international level this summer helped a lot, too. He's been playing great this year.''

— Zach on improving defensively

"It's a lot about getting comfortable in the game. I didn't have the same mobility level a year ago, and I have a better feel for the game now, and I can read plays now that I couldn't do last year. There are a lot of great big men in the Big Ten, and you have to learn a lot of different styles, too. 

"The obvious names, like Kofi (Cockburn of Illinois), he's super strong and it's a war getting to your spots. There are others too, who are underrated, like Ryan Young at Northwestern or xx at Iowa., they are tough too and make you work.''

— Zach on rotating with Trevion Williams

"I know I can run myself hard for five or six minutes, because I'm going to get a breather. I never have to pace myself and I can go hard all the time. Trevion can do the same thing, too. I think both of us are always fresh, even at the end of a game''

— Zach on potential going forward

"Honestly, when I first got here, I was just hoping to play, or I might even redshirt. I've worked on all my weaknesses, and I've continued to work on my strengths, and I feel like for sure I can get where I want to be now, whenever that may be.''

— Zach on getting physical

"A lot of teams give Kofi a pass and don't hit him or want to deal with him. We knew that we have to do what we usually do, be physical in the paint. I enjoy getting physical. I don't like the games where they go the tick-tack fouls. I like the games where we can do battle down there.''

— Zach on staying healthy

"I'm 295, but it was 300 after Christmas. I work hard on my body, and I work with the trainers a lot. And my mom is in town, so she'll take me out for a massage too. That really helps. I do ice baths after every practice too.''

— Zach on getting better

"It's something we've really been working on, and I think we've gotten a lot better about that. We're better and defending ball screens and such, and we've taken big steps. The buy-in is there, in getting stops.''

Watch the full Sasha Live! podcast with Zach Edey

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