Zach Edey

Zach Edey (/ˈiːdi/; born May 14, 2002) is a Canadian college basketball player for the Purdue Boilermakers of the Big Ten Conference. He is listed at 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 meters), making him the tallest player in Big Ten history. At the close of the 2023 season, Edey was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus National Player of the Year.

Zach Edey
Edey with Purdue in 2022
No. 15 – Purdue Boilermakers
PositionCenter
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2002-05-14) May 14, 2002
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Listed height7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
Listed weight305 lb (138 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegePurdue (2020–present)
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Canada
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Bronze medal – third place2021 LatviaTeam

Edey also represented Canada at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Latvia.

Early life and high school career

Zach Edey was born in Toronto on May 14, 2002, to Julia and Glen Edey.[1] His 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m) mother was born to Chinese immigrants in Toronto, where she grew up and played basketball;[2][3][4] his father is white.[5] Edey grew up playing ice hockey as well as baseball, which his father also played growing up.[2] As a sophomore at Leaside High School in Toronto, Edey started playing basketball with the Northern Kings Amateur Athletic Union program.[6] He only committed to the game when his exceptional height made baseball impractical, as his strike zone impacted his ability to play.

Edey moved to the United States and attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.[6] He joined their second-tier team in his first year, working daily with IMG coach and former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Daniel Santiago. Edey was promoted to the school's national team the following year.[5][6] A consensus three-star recruit, he reclassified to the 2020 class and committed to playing college basketball for Purdue over offers from Baylor and Santa Clara, among others.[7]

College career

Freshman season

In his freshman season at Purdue, Edey was listed at 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m), making him the tallest player in Big Ten history.[8] On March 2, 2021, he recorded a season-high 21 points and seven rebounds off the bench in a 73–69 win over Wisconsin.[9] Sharing playing time with fellow center Trevion Williams, he averaged 8.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 14 minutes per game, earning Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.[1][10]

Sophomore season

To begin his sophomore year, Edey moved into a starting role. On January 3, 2022, he recorded a then-career-high 24 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes in a 74–69 loss to Wisconsin.[11] On February 26, 2022, Edey recorded a career-high 25 points in 22 minutes in a 68–65 loss to Michigan State.[12] As a sophomore, he averaged career highs in every category except free throw percentage, averaging 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.2 blocks in only 19 minutes per game. Following the conclusion of the season, Edey was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten.[13]

Junior season

On December 17, 2022, Edey became both the 55th player in Purdue's history to reach 1,000 career points[14] and the 11th player in Purdue's history to reach 100 career blocks.[15]

During the 2022-23 season, Edey received Big Ten Player of the Week six times,[16] tying the school record for most awards in a single season (Caleb Swanigan, 2016-17) and rising to second most all-time in men's basketball in the Big Ten (Evan Turner, 2010-11).

At the close of the season, Edey was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and Sporting News National Player of the Year.[17] He was also named a consensus first-team All-American.

National team career

Edey represented Canada at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Latvia. He averaged 15.1 points, a tournament-high 14.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, leading his team to the bronze medal and being named to the all-tournament team.[18]

On May 24, 2022, Edey agreed to a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team.[19]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Purdue 28214.7.597–.7144.4.4.11.18.7
2021–22 Purdue 373319.0.648–.6497.71.2.21.214.4
2022–23 Purdue 343431.7.607–.73412.91.5.22.122.3
Career 986822.0.619–.7028.31.1.21.515.4

References
  1. "Zach Edey – Men's Basketball". Purdue University Athletics. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  2. Norlander, Matt (February 8, 2023). "Simple, but not easy: After rejecting basketball for years, Zach Edey's Zen-like approach made him unstoppable". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  3. Ibrahim, Abdulhamid (March 15, 2023). "With mom by his side, Canada's Zach Edey dominating college basketball". CBC. The Canadian Press. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  4. Clifford, Charlie (February 8, 2022). "Zach Edey's unlikely path to college basketball's most interesting player". WISH-TV. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  5. Fader, Mirin (March 15, 2023). "Zach Edey Is Just Different". The Ringer. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  6. Dopirak, Dustin (November 14, 2019). "'It seems like a movie': Purdue's new big man Zach Edey was on skates until two years ago". The Athletic. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  7. Carmin, Mike (November 9, 2019). "Purdue basketball lands 7-6 Canadian big man Zach Edey". Journal & Courier. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  8. Doyel, Gregg (May 12, 2021). "7-6!?! Purdue's Zach Edey is getting taller — and better. Where it ends, nobody knows". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  9. Polzin, Jim (March 3, 2021). "Falling short: Badgers struggle to contain freshman center Zach Edey as Boilermakers hold on at home". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  10. Golden, Todd Aaron (March 14, 2023). "Edey speaks softly, but carries weight with Purdue teammates". Tribune-Star. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  11. "Davis scores 37 in No. 23 Badgers' win over No. 3 Purdue". ESPN. Associated Press. January 3, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  12. "Michigan State snaps slump with 68-65 win over No. 4 Purdue". ESPN. Associated Press. February 26, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  13. "2021-22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  14. "1000 career points for Zach Edey". Twitter. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  15. "100 career rejections". Twitter. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  16. "Edey Picks Up 6th Big Ten Player of the Week Accolade". Purdue Boilermakers. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  17. DeCourcy, Mike (March 8, 2023). "Purdue's Zach Edey is Sporting News' College Basketball Player of the Year". Sporting News. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  18. "Zach Edey (CAN)'s profile – FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021". FIBA. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  19. "FOURTEEN ATHLETES COMMITTED TO REPRESENT CANADA AS SENIOR MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM SUMMER CORE REVEALED". Canada Basketball. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
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