WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Zach Edey became the fifth Purdue men's basketball player in school history to be named the Big Ten's Player of the Year and freshmen Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer were also honored by the Big Ten Conference, as the league announced its league honors today.
Edey joins 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 also was named first-team All-Big Ten, giving the Boilermakers a league-best seven first-team selections in the last eight years. During that span, only Iowa (6) has had more than four first-team All-Big Ten honorees.
Earlier today, Edey was named to the Sporting News' first-team All-America squad. Should he be named All-American by the AP, the USBWA and NABC, 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, is considered the front-runner for the National Player of the Year awards. He 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 ninth 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, Loyer and Smith were both named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honorees, while Smith also landing on the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team.
Smith, a point guard from Westfield, Indiana, ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game, while leading the Boilermakers with a 4.2 assist per game average. He also contributes 4.3 rebounds per game and leads the team with 38 steals. He ranks 33rd nationally in free throw percentage (.875).
Smith is one of two freshman nationally in the last 30 years to average 10.0 points and 4.0 assists per game, while shooting at least 45.0 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from 3-point range and 85.0 percent from the free throw line (North Texas' Javion Hamlet in 2019-20).
Smith is one of just two freshmen nationally this year to average at least 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game and he is the first Purdue player since Troy Lewis in 1987-88 to average those numbers.
Smith is third all-time among Purdue freshmen in assists (130) and fifth in steals (38).
Loyer, meanwhile, ranks fourth among the Big Ten's freshmen in scoring (11.6 ppg) and 3-pointers made (54). Loyer ranks sixth on Purdue's freshman scoring list with 360 points, needing just 40 points to become the fourth Purdue freshman with 400 points in a season.
Loyer has had an outstanding season, becoming the first Purdue freshman since 2008, to be named Big Ten Player of the Week after scoring 27 points against Nebraska in mid-January. His six 3-pointers against the Cornhuskers were the most by a Purdue freshman in school history.
Loyer was also named the CBS Sports National Freshman of the Week following Purdue's title in the PK Invitational in Portland.
Senior Matt Frost was named the school's Sportsmanship Award recipient.
The No. 5-ranked Boilermakers are the top seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.
Edey joins 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 also was named first-team All-Big Ten, giving the Boilermakers a league-best seven first-team selections in the last eight years. During that span, only Iowa (6) has had more than four first-team All-Big Ten honorees.
Earlier today, Edey was named to the Sporting News' first-team All-America squad. Should he be named All-American by the AP, the USBWA and NABC, 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, is considered the front-runner for the National Player of the Year awards. He 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 ninth 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, Loyer and Smith were both named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honorees, while Smith also landing on the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team.
Smith, a point guard from Westfield, Indiana, ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game, while leading the Boilermakers with a 4.2 assist per game average. He also contributes 4.3 rebounds per game and leads the team with 38 steals. He ranks 33rd nationally in free throw percentage (.875).
Smith is one of two freshman nationally in the last 30 years to average 10.0 points and 4.0 assists per game, while shooting at least 45.0 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from 3-point range and 85.0 percent from the free throw line (North Texas' Javion Hamlet in 2019-20).
Smith is one of just two freshmen nationally this year to average at least 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game and he is the first Purdue player since Troy Lewis in 1987-88 to average those numbers.
Smith is third all-time among Purdue freshmen in assists (130) and fifth in steals (38).
Loyer, meanwhile, ranks fourth among the Big Ten's freshmen in scoring (11.6 ppg) and 3-pointers made (54). Loyer ranks sixth on Purdue's freshman scoring list with 360 points, needing just 40 points to become the fourth Purdue freshman with 400 points in a season.
Loyer has had an outstanding season, becoming the first Purdue freshman since 2008, to be named Big Ten Player of the Week after scoring 27 points against Nebraska in mid-January. His six 3-pointers against the Cornhuskers were the most by a Purdue freshman in school history.
Loyer was also named the CBS Sports National Freshman of the Week following Purdue's title in the PK Invitational in Portland.
Senior Matt Frost was named the school's Sportsmanship Award recipient.
The No. 5-ranked Boilermakers are the top seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.