Canadian big man Zach Edey named AP men's college basketball player of the year

Zach Edey spent the days following Purdue's historic NCAA Tournament loss lying low, his phone turned off, along with the rest of the outside world.

The disappointing finish did little to diminish the season the Canadian big man had.

Dominating at both ends of the floor during the regular season, Edey was a near-unanimous choice as The Associated Press men's college basketball player of the year. Edey received all but one vote from a 58-person media panel, with Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis getting the other. Edey also received the Wooden Award on Tuesday, given annually to 'the most outstanding men's college basketball player' by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

"The season ended in disappointment, which really sucks, but it's always nice to win individual accolades," Edey said. "It kind of validates your work a little bit. The last three years I've played here, I've seen my game grow every year. AP player of the year is a great feeling, it just kind of stinks the way the season ended."

That ending came in the NCAA Tournament's first round, when Purdue lost to Fairleigh Dickinson, joining Virginia in 2018 as the only No. 1 seeds to lose to a No. 16.

Before that, Edey dominated.

'One of a kind'

The seven-foot-four big man was named a unanimous AP All-American and the Big Ten player of the year after finishing sixth nationally in scoring (22.3), second in rebounding (12.8) and first in double-doubles (26).

Edey also shot 62 per cent from the floor and averaged 2.1 blocked shots per game while leading Purdue to its first outright Big Ten regular-season title since 2017. He is the first player since Navy's David Robinson in 1985-86 to have at least 750 points, 450 rebounds and 50 blocked shots in a season.

"He's kind of a one of a kind," Purdue guard David Jenkins Jr. said. "I've never played with someone like him, probably never will again."

WATCH | Edey shines for Canada in World Cup qualifying:

7'4" centre Zach Edey impresses in Canada's blowout win over U.S. Virgin Islands

2 years ago

Duration 1:59

20-year-old Zach Edey of Toronto scored 6 points in Canada's 113-67 victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands, as Canada finished the first round of FIBA World Cup qualifications with a perfect 6-0 record.

And to think, Edey didn't want to play basketball when he was younger.

A hockey and baseball player growing up in Toronto, Edey resisted basketball at first. He was 6-2 by the sixth grade and the natural inclination by the adults was to push him toward basketball, where his size would be a massive advantage.

Edey credits his mother, Julia, for convincing him to see through his high school journey down south.

"A lot of people look at their moms as kind of like their rocks in their life and I'm the same way," Edey said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.

"She retired going into my freshman year of college. That was always kind of our deal. She had said, basically, if I get a D1 scholarship then financially, she could retire. That kind of was a big reason why I wanted to get one of those scholarships. It's obviously been great."

Developed quickly

Edey developed his game quickly. He played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and proved himself against some of the nation's best high school players, drawing attention from college coaches. He ended up at Purdue, where coach Matt Painter had a proven track record of developing big men.

Already a tireless worker, Edey put in even more time during the off-season, spending extra time after practice and taking better care of his body. His already solid footwork got better, he added quickness and developed more patience with the constant double teams he faced — not to mention the barrage of physical play teams tried to employ against him.

"There's not really any kind of cool, sexy answer," Edey said. "I came in every day, I worked hard, I stayed after practice — stayed a long time after practice. I took care of my body and was able to steadily improve. There was nothing revolutionary I did. I just worked hard."

It certainly paid off, even if the season ended with a huge disappointment.