WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue's Zach Edey and head coach Matt Painter have both been nominated to Naismith Trophy semifinalist watch lists, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced earlier today.
Edey was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year, while Painter was tabbed as a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year.
The award's four finalists will be announced on Tuesday, March 21, with the announcement of the Player and Coach of the Year awarded on Sunday, April 2, in Houston at the Final Four.
Earlier today, Edey was named a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation's top center.
Edey has already won National Player of the Year honors by The Sporting News and Big Ten Player of the Year accolades after helping Purdue to a Big Ten regular-season title and a No. 1 national ranking for seven weeks. He becomes Purdue's first recipient of National Player of the Year honors since Glenn Robinson in 1994.
Earlier this week, Edey joined an exclusive list of Boilermakers to win the Big Ten Player of the Year, joining the late Caleb Swanigan (2017), JaJuan Johnson (2011), Glenn Robinson (1994) and Steve Scheffler (1990) as winners of the league's top honor.
Edey was also named to the Sporting News' first-team All-America squad. Should he be named All-American by the AP, the USBWA and NABC in the next few weeks, Edey would become Purdue's fourth consensus All-American in the last seven years, joining Swanigan (2017), Carsen Edwards (2019) and Jaden Ivey (2022).
Edey, a 7-foot, 4-inch center from Toronto, currently averages 21.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 assists per game while shooting almost 60 percent from the field and nearly 75 percent from the free throw line – ranking eighth nationally in scoring and second in rebounds. He also leads the country with 23 double-doubles.
He is one of just two Big Ten players in the last 30 years (Michigan's Chris Webber) to have at least 600 points, 350 rebounds and 50 blocked shots and is on pace to become 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.
His nine games of 25 points and 10 rebounds are the most for a major-college player since the 2006-07 season behind just Luke Harangody, Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant. Lastly, he is on pace to become the first Big Ten player in over 50 years to average 22.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per game in a season.
Edey became the second player in Big Ten history and the first since Ohio State's Gary Bradds in 1963-64 to lead the league in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, and he is one of just nine players (Blake Griffin, Ike Diogu, Antawn Jamison, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Bill Walton, Lew Alcindor, Gary Bradds) to lead a major-college conference in all three categories in NCAA history. Griffin was the last to do so in 2009.
Edey has also been named a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.
Meanwhile, Painter has led the Boilermakers to a 27-5 overall record and the school's 25th Big Ten Championship. Purdue started the season unranked and picked to finish in the middle of the pack of the Big Ten standings, but quickly made an impact in November, winning the Phil Knight Legacy with wins over West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke.
The Boilermakers then ascended to a No. 1 ranking in the country for the second straight season and were ranked No. 1 in the country for a nation's-best seven weeks during the season. Purdue owns 17 quad-1 and quad-2 wins, the second-highest total in the country. Since the start of last season, Purdue's 56 wins are the fourth-most nationally and one off the school-record of 57 wins over a two-year span.
Painter was named the Associated Press' co-Coach of the Year in the Big Ten Conference and was the 2019 NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) National Coach of the Year.
Edey was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year, while Painter was tabbed as a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year.
The award's four finalists will be announced on Tuesday, March 21, with the announcement of the Player and Coach of the Year awarded on Sunday, April 2, in Houston at the Final Four.
Earlier today, Edey was named a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation's top center.
Edey has already won National Player of the Year honors by The Sporting News and Big Ten Player of the Year accolades after helping Purdue to a Big Ten regular-season title and a No. 1 national ranking for seven weeks. He becomes Purdue's first recipient of National Player of the Year honors since Glenn Robinson in 1994.
Earlier this week, Edey joined an exclusive list of Boilermakers to win the Big Ten Player of the Year, joining the late Caleb Swanigan (2017), JaJuan Johnson (2011), Glenn Robinson (1994) and Steve Scheffler (1990) as winners of the league's top honor.
Edey was also named to the Sporting News' first-team All-America squad. Should he be named All-American by the AP, the USBWA and NABC in the next few weeks, Edey would become Purdue's fourth consensus All-American in the last seven years, joining Swanigan (2017), Carsen Edwards (2019) and Jaden Ivey (2022).
Edey, a 7-foot, 4-inch center from Toronto, currently averages 21.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 assists per game while shooting almost 60 percent from the field and nearly 75 percent from the free throw line – ranking eighth nationally in scoring and second in rebounds. He also leads the country with 23 double-doubles.
He is one of just two Big Ten players in the last 30 years (Michigan's Chris Webber) to have at least 600 points, 350 rebounds and 50 blocked shots and is on pace to become 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.
His nine games of 25 points and 10 rebounds are the most for a major-college player since the 2006-07 season behind just Luke Harangody, Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant. Lastly, he is on pace to become the first Big Ten player in over 50 years to average 22.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per game in a season.
Edey became the second player in Big Ten history and the first since Ohio State's Gary Bradds in 1963-64 to lead the league in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, and he is one of just nine players (Blake Griffin, Ike Diogu, Antawn Jamison, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Bill Walton, Lew Alcindor, Gary Bradds) to lead a major-college conference in all three categories in NCAA history. Griffin was the last to do so in 2009.
Edey has also been named a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.
Meanwhile, Painter has led the Boilermakers to a 27-5 overall record and the school's 25th Big Ten Championship. Purdue started the season unranked and picked to finish in the middle of the pack of the Big Ten standings, but quickly made an impact in November, winning the Phil Knight Legacy with wins over West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke.
The Boilermakers then ascended to a No. 1 ranking in the country for the second straight season and were ranked No. 1 in the country for a nation's-best seven weeks during the season. Purdue owns 17 quad-1 and quad-2 wins, the second-highest total in the country. Since the start of last season, Purdue's 56 wins are the fourth-most nationally and one off the school-record of 57 wins over a two-year span.
Painter was named the Associated Press' co-Coach of the Year in the Big Ten Conference and was the 2019 NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) National Coach of the Year.