Purdue Boilermakers star center Zach Edey was one of the most dominant players in college basketball last season. Big Ten schools were certainly happy to see him enter his name in the 2023 NBA Draft pool, but he reversed ship with a massive announcement on Wednesday.
Edey had a historically great season at the college level last season, averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game for the Boilermakers. What he does as a low-post threat is obviously elite. However, there are some serious concerns about how the game of the 7-foot-4 standout will translate to the NBA level.
He could pan out at the NBA level, but basketball fans will need to wait a little while before seeing if that is the case or not. Edey took to social media with three simple words to announce his return to Purdue for his final year of eligibility.
“RUN IT BACK,” Edey tweeted.
https://twitter.com/zach_edey/status/1664075497490227202
Edey was the biggest reason for the Boilermakers being one of the best teams in college basketball during the regular season last year. The college basketball world clearly took notice of this decision, with many offering their opinion of the move on social media.
Zach Edey in his 2022-23 NPOY campaign:
31.7 MPG
22.3 PPG
12.9 RPG
1.5 APG
2.1 BPGLed Purdue to a 1 seed as a junior.
He’s back.🚂 pic.twitter.com/1NIeqHNLWt
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) June 1, 2023
Last season, Zach Edey led the Big Ten in:
• scoring – 22.3 PPG
• rebounds – 12.9 RPG
• FG pct – 60.7% FGEdey is 1 of 9 players in NCAA men’s basketball history to lead a major conference in all three of those categories.
The National Player of the Year returns. pic.twitter.com/EACZkNxhnY
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) June 1, 2023
Reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey is withdrawing from the NBA draft to return to Purdue
Averaged 22 PPG, 13 RPG, and shot 61% last season. Favorite to win NPOY again? pic.twitter.com/nddY7keSOk
— 🆁🆄🆂🆃🆈 (@PacersStatsMuse) June 1, 2023
Zach Edey will be back for Purdue this season. Expectations will be sky high for the Boilermakers, who will see their highest preseason ranking since 2010-11. https://t.co/hSz0RIjySj
— Boilers and Beyond (@BoilersBeyond) June 1, 2023
Purdue’s Zach Edey, the NPOY, is coming back. https://t.co/oJC2EnH5i4
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 1, 2023
Zach Edey is staying at Purdue for another year 👀 pic.twitter.com/RfyVPL38au
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) June 1, 2023
Edey wasn’t exactly moving the needle as an NBA Draft prospect, with most projections having him as a potential second-round talent or even an undrafted free agent. However, he certainly makes an impact at the collegiate level, where the style of play fits his game far better.
Purdue notably fell far short of postseason expectations, becoming just the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That had to be motivating factor for him returning to try and rewrite history next season with Purdue.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.