WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Zach Edey was named the Wooden Award recipient, capping off an award season that saw him win all six major National Player of the Year honors, becoming the first player in over 50 years to win unanimous National Player of the Year accolades in consecutive seasons.
Edey has now won The Sporting News, the Associated Press, the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Naismith Award and the Wooden Award honors in consecutive seasons, the first time since Bill Walton won the four major awards (at the time) in 1972 and 1973 that a player has swept the major National Player of the Year awards.
He technically becomes the sixth two-time National Player of the Year, joining Ralph Sampson (1981, 1982, 1983), Bill Walton (1971, 1972, 1973), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1967, 1969), Jerry Lucas (1961, 1962) and Oscar Robertson (1958, 1959, 1960) as multiple NPOY recipients.
Simply put, Edey had a season and career for the ages and will go down as one of the greatest college basketball players in NCAA history. As a senior, he led Purdue to a 34-5 record and a spot in the National Championship game for the first time in 55 years. He averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 62.3 percent from the field and 71.1 percent from the free throw line.
In the NCAA Tournament, he was even better, averaging 29.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 assists while shooting 64.1 percent from the field. He finished the tournament with 177 points, the third most in NCAA Tournament history, while playing all but four minutes in the last four games of the tournament. In fact, only three players in NCAA Tournament history have scored 150 points with 60 rebounds in the same tournament (Edey, Elvin Hayes, Jerry West) and Edey had 177 points and 87 rebounds.
His 37 points in the National Championship game were tied for the third most in a title game in NCAA history.
The performance capped off one of the most-dominant seasons in history. He scored 983 points with 474 rebounds, joining Houston's Elvin Hayes (1968) as the only players in NCAA history to reach those marks in a season in NCAA history. He finished the year by scoring at least 20 points with 10 rebounds in nine straight games, while posting 16 straight games of 20 or more points to end his career. He finished the season with ten 30-10 games, the most for a player since Kansas State's Michael Beasley in 2007-08 (13).
His 983 points and 474 rebounds in a season are both second in Big Ten history in both categories.
Edey's senior season was the icing on the cake of a career that will be considered one of the best in college basketball history. He finished his career with 2,516 points and 1,321 rebounds – one of six players in history to reach those marks and the first since 1990 (Lionel Simmons; Michael Brooks, Elvin Hayes, Oscar Robertson, Dickie Hemric).
He finished his career third in Big Ten history in scoring and second in rebounding.
Edey has now won The Sporting News, the Associated Press, the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Naismith Award and the Wooden Award honors in consecutive seasons, the first time since Bill Walton won the four major awards (at the time) in 1972 and 1973 that a player has swept the major National Player of the Year awards.
He technically becomes the sixth two-time National Player of the Year, joining Ralph Sampson (1981, 1982, 1983), Bill Walton (1971, 1972, 1973), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1967, 1969), Jerry Lucas (1961, 1962) and Oscar Robertson (1958, 1959, 1960) as multiple NPOY recipients.
Simply put, Edey had a season and career for the ages and will go down as one of the greatest college basketball players in NCAA history. As a senior, he led Purdue to a 34-5 record and a spot in the National Championship game for the first time in 55 years. He averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 62.3 percent from the field and 71.1 percent from the free throw line.
In the NCAA Tournament, he was even better, averaging 29.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 assists while shooting 64.1 percent from the field. He finished the tournament with 177 points, the third most in NCAA Tournament history, while playing all but four minutes in the last four games of the tournament. In fact, only three players in NCAA Tournament history have scored 150 points with 60 rebounds in the same tournament (Edey, Elvin Hayes, Jerry West) and Edey had 177 points and 87 rebounds.
His 37 points in the National Championship game were tied for the third most in a title game in NCAA history.
The performance capped off one of the most-dominant seasons in history. He scored 983 points with 474 rebounds, joining Houston's Elvin Hayes (1968) as the only players in NCAA history to reach those marks in a season in NCAA history. He finished the year by scoring at least 20 points with 10 rebounds in nine straight games, while posting 16 straight games of 20 or more points to end his career. He finished the season with ten 30-10 games, the most for a player since Kansas State's Michael Beasley in 2007-08 (13).
His 983 points and 474 rebounds in a season are both second in Big Ten history in both categories.
Edey's senior season was the icing on the cake of a career that will be considered one of the best in college basketball history. He finished his career with 2,516 points and 1,321 rebounds – one of six players in history to reach those marks and the first since 1990 (Lionel Simmons; Michael Brooks, Elvin Hayes, Oscar Robertson, Dickie Hemric).
He finished his career third in Big Ten history in scoring and second in rebounding.