Zach Edey Named AP National Player of the Year

Mar 31, 2023 - 10:22 PM

Zach Edey has been named the AP National Player of the Year for the 2022-2023 season following as dominant a season that college basketball has seen in nearly three decades. The Boiler Big Man averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game on his way to also being named the B1G Player of the Year, a 1st Team All American through multiple outlets. Edey was also named the Pete Newell ‘Big Man of the Year’ by the National Association of Basketball Coaches which has been given annually since 1999 joining fellow Boilermaker JuJuan Johnson who won the award during the 2010-2011 season.

Currently, Edey has been named the National Player of the Year in three of the six major outlets that are considered for consensus status. The Sporting News, AP, and National Association of Basketball Coaches have named Edey the National Player of the Year while the Wooden, Naismith, and the United States Basketball Writers Association have yet to announce their winner. If Edey wins those three awards, he would be the first Purdue player since Glenn Robinson in 1993-1994 to win the award.

Depending on the decision that Edey makes to return or not, he would be the outright favorite to win the award again next season. If that happens, Edey would have the opportunity to be the first back to back consensus National Player of the Year Awards since Bill Walton in 1972 and 1973. The decision to transfer was unequivocally shot down earlier this week as Edey himself responded to a post from former ESPN/WFNI personality saying that Edey would be transferring but was ultimately determined to be a fake profile that duped the current Outkick radio personality. It is likely Edey tests the NBA Draft process to determine if he will return to Purdue for his senior season or head to the professional ranks of basketball either in the NBA or in Europe’s top leagues.