Purdue’s Zach Edey Reacts to Winning Big Ten POY Award

The junior center has been unstoppable this season in guiding the Boilermakers to the regular-season conference championship.

It’s been a storybook season for Zach Edey and Purdue. On Tuesday, a journey three years in the making reached a meaningful milestone.

Edey was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Year, becoming the fifth Purdue player in school history and first since Caleb Swanigan in 2017 to win the award. After news broke of the honor, Edey shared a heartfelt message on Twitter, acknowledging the humble beginnings his career had at its onset.

“Took the day to take this in. Three years ago only 2 schools in this conference thought I was good enough to play at this level,” Edey wrote. “Life changes fast man.”

Took the day to take this in. Three years ago only 2 schools in this conference thought I was good enough to play at this level. Life changes fast man https://t.co/UNzrEfnrMs

— zach (@zach_edey) March 7, 2023

Edey helped guide the Boilermakers to a 26-5 record and their third regular-season conference title in the past seven seasons. The 7’4” junior has been unstoppable, averaging 21.9 points and 12.8 rebounds per game on 61.1% shooting from the field.

It’s been a dominant progression for Edey, who was considered just a three-star prospect coming out of high school, per 247Sports. He was productive over his first two college seasons but only managed to be on the court for 17.1 minutes per game.

Edey and Purdue will play in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals on Friday against an opponent to be determined.

Watch Big Ten basketball live with fuboTV: Start a free trial today!