Why did Zach Edey choose Purdue? Exploring the reason behind the 7-foot-4 phenom’s decision to join the Boilers

Currently in his senior college basketball season in West Lafayette, 7-foot-4 Canadian phenom Zach Edey has definitely made major strides in his time at Purdue. A defending National Player of the Year who's likely well on his way to a second-straight honor, Edey will likely go down as one of the greatest to ever put on a Boilermakers hoops jersey.

But unlike other, more heralded men's basketball programs in the US, why did Edey choose to go to Purdue? Why not take his talents to Kentucky, UCLA, Duke, or North Carolina, or any other top hoops school? Well, this burning question will be answered right here.

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Purdue is known as a 'Big Man's U'

Being the mountain of a young man that he is, there is no doubt that Zach Edey's talents and physical attributes would have been wasted if he went to a school that was famous for producing other types of players.

For example, Kentucky, UCLA , and Duke University are known for producing elite point guards (think John Wall, Russell Westbrook, or Kyrie Irving). Others like Kansas or Michigan State are known for its wings; UNC is known for their uber-athletic slashers and pure scorers, every self-respecting college hoops fans know it. But Purdue, on the other hand, is well-known for developing bigs.

This was one of the main reasons why Edey gravitated towards a career in West Lafayette than any other schools (via PurdueSports.com). Here's what Edey had to say in his entrance interview with the school (via Rivals):

"I know with Purdue, they always want that one big solid guy in the middle to hold down the paint. I know when they said that they want me there and they want me to help them, I know they were being real about it. Coach Painter, he just seems like a real guy. He doesn’t promise anyone anything. He just says that you'll come to the campus, you'll work and then we'll see how your role is from there."

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What if Edey didn't choose basketball?

As a youth, Edey didn't grow up playing basketball: he was a hockey and baseball player in his hometown of Toronto. He was a standout pitcher, most of all. Here's what his former teammate, Sam Brown (now a star player at University of Guelph in Ontario), had to say about his skills on the diamond (via Journal & Courier):

"When he pitched, he was so intimidating on the mound, so tall. This is before we played on MLB-sized diamonds. From a shorter mound, it was so intimidating stepping into the batter’s box. He was so much stronger and threw harder than anybody back then."

The only time that Edey started actually considering basketball was when people wouldn't stop noticing how massive he's getting, asking him when he's going to start playing hoops. But while the young man was initially resistant, he eventually started to like playing basketball the deeper he went into it.

Well, one thing is for certain: Purdue fans are glad to have the big man on their side.