Boilermakers Country

Purdue Center Zach Edey Wins College Basketball's Naismith National Player of the Year Award

Purdue center Zach Edey has been named the Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year for a second straight season. Edey is averaging 24.9 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks for Purdue this season. He also led the Boilers to the Final Four.

Dustin Schutte

Apr 6, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) blocks a shot by North
Apr 6, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) blocks a shot by North / Joe Rondone-Arizona Republic

Zach Edey is adding another Naismith National Player of the Year award to his list of accomplishments. The 7-foot-4 center becomes the first player to receive the honor in back-to-back seasons since Virginia's Ralph Sampson (1981-83).

Edey is averaging 24.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game for the Boilermakers this season. He guided Purdue to a second straight Big Ten regular season championship and the program's first Final Four appearance since 1980.

Earlier in the week, Edey was named theAssociated Press National Player of the Year.

On Saturday night, Edey scored 20 points and collected 12 rebounds in Purdue's 63-50 win over North Carolina State in the Final Four. Because of the effort, the Boilers will play in their first national championship since 1969.

"I just want to congratulate everybody else who was on the list. Obviously, I played (Tennessee's) Dalton (Knecht) twice — the displeasure of doing that," Edey said in his acceptance speech.

"I want to thank my mom, first and foremost. I'm from Canada, this isn't my country, but she changed her life, uprooted it and moved to America for me. Since my freshman year, she's been here for me. I want to give her a big thanks first.

"I want to thank Coach Paint and all the coaches who really believed in me and helped me along the way. Coming out of high school a lot of coaches had written me off. Paint didn't. He believed in me ... he saw some things in me that I didn't even really see in myself. So, I just want to thank him and thank all the coaching staff.

"And lastly, I want to thank my teammates. It's been an unbelievable year up to this point. The way that we've battled, the way we've heard everything about what everyone said about us. We keep going, we keep persevering. It's amazing to watch and be a part of. I just want to thank them for really stepping up and believing in me when not a lot of people did."

"As a coach, it's a dream come true. If you have any success, you have to have great players," Purdue coach Matt Painter said of Edey's award. "To have the best player in the country in back-to-back years is really surreal.

"He's worked really hard. I know he's honored to get this award. It's a true honor, especially to get it in back-to-back years."

Edey has transformed from a three-star prospect into a two-time Naismith National Player of the Year. He's rewritten Purdue's record books, becoming the program's all-time leading rebounder and all-time leading scorer.

Edey passed Joe Barry Carroll to become the program's all-time leading rebounder this season. Carroll set the rebounding record at 1,148 during his career from 1976-80.

Later in the year, Edey became the program's all-time leading scorer, passing Mount's record of 2,323. Mount played at Purdue from 1967-70.

Edey's No. 15 is already hanging in the rafters at Mackey Arena. He'll go down as one of the greatest players ever to wear a Purdue uniform and one of the best college basketball players in the history of the game.

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Dustin Schutte

DUSTIN SCHUTTE