Zach Edey Undecided on Future at Purdue: 'I Have to Make the Best Decision for Me'
COLUMBUS, Ohio — With Purdue's 63-58 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, junior center Zach Edey has a difficult decision to make about his future in college basketball.
Edey was a consensus first-team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year for the Boilermakers this season. But after three years in the program, the 7-foot-4 junior will garner interest from teams at the professional level.
"If there was no money involved, I would stay at Purdue in a heartbeat," Edey said in the locker room after the game Saturday. "But there is, and I have to make the best decision for me."
Edey spearheaded a Purdue team that spent several weeks as the No. 1 team in the country throughout the 2022-23 season, captured the program's 25th regular-season conference title and won the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.
He averaged more than 22 points and almost 13 rebounds per game, and the Boilermakers finished with a 29-6 overall record. Almost every player on the roster will return to the team next year, and Edey has an opportunity to join them.
“For me, we would love to have everybody back,” Purdue junior guard Ethan Morton said. “You guys know how I feel about Zach. I’ve talked about him at length all year. That’s my brother, and I love him to death. When the time is right and after he’s taken time to sort through all of his emotions, he’ll make a decision that’s best for him.”
As much as coach Matt Painter surely would like to influence the decision, he said Edey will gather information and make a decision that's best for him and his family.
"He's pretty simple in things," Painter said. "But it's not me. His parents are great. The people around him are great. He's a good dude. It's too bad. He deserves better than this. He deserves better."
Edey said he's never been a part of a better locker room in his athletic career, which spans several sports at multiple levels of organized competition.
"I really love everybody in this locker room," Edey said. "I want to come back, and I want to go to war with them. But, at the end of the day, I just have to make the best decision for me because I have no idea my career is going to last. I have no idea what's going to happen in my future."
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Related Stories on Purdue Basketball
- Purdue's Flaws Prove Fatal in Loss to Fairleigh Dickinson: Purdue basketball's season came to an end Friday night in a 63-58 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers turned the ball over 16 times and were 5-of-26 from the 3-point line. CLICK HERE
- Purdue, Fairleigh Dickinson Live Blog: No. 1 seed Purdue tipped off against No. 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Columbus, Ohio. Here's how the game played out inside Nationwide Arena. CLICK HERE
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