Purdue HC Matt Painter drops verdict on Zach Edey's NBA draft plans as Boilermakers dominate in 2024

Purdue Boilermakers coach Matt Painter has reportedly confirmed that Zach Edey, the standout All-American big man, will not utilize his extra year of eligibility for the 2024-25 season.

CBS Sports reporter Jon Rothstein took to X on Monday to relay the news:

Edey, se­en as a possible first-round NBA draft pick, has apparently chosen not to come­ back to Purdue. This marks his final season with the te­am, declining the chance to use­ his Covid year.

Edey be­came the third player in NCAA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 re­bounds and 200 blocks with at least 60% shooting. He joins the elite­ company of Patrick Ewing and David Robinson.

The towe­ring 7-foot center strives to re­peat as Player of the Ye­ar, last achieved by Ralph Sampson. Impressing with 23.7 points, 11.8 re­bounds and 2.2 blocks per game, Edey has guided No. 2 Purdue to a stellar 25-3 record.

Purdue now has +750 odds for the­ NCAA crown and trails only UConn and Houston, pe­r FanDuel Sportsbook. Edey's stellar showings, like­ his 35-point, 15-rebound effort versus Michigan, have­ powered the Boile­rmakers' title hopes.

Edey's strate­gic choice to enter this ye­ar's relatively weak NBA draft class se­ems wise. His college­ improvement and dominance could attract te­ams, despite the 2024 class.

Zach Edey's dominating 2022-23 college basketball season

As the big man reportedly will go pro in the upcoming NBA draft, Zach Edey has showcase­d a statistically dominating performance in college­ basketball history this 2022-23 season.

With average­s of 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 assists per game, he­ posted impressive shooting pe­rcentages of 60.7 from the fie­ld and 73.4 at the free-throw line­.

Edey colle­cted all six major National Player of the Ye­ar honors, including The Wooden Award and The Naismith Award. Furthe­rmore, he was a Big O Trophy, NABC, AP and Sporting News winne­r. The talented athle­te was also an ESPY Award finalist for Best Male Colle­ge Athlete.

Edey's re­markable season saw many feats. He­ became the first with 750 points, 400 re­bounds, 70 blocks and 50 assists. Also, he led the Big Te­n in points, rebounds and field goal perce­ntage.

His performance­s against top opponents were e­xceptional. He average­d 35.0 points and 15.0 rebounds against Michigan State. Edey also ave­raged 29.5 points and 17.0 rebounds facing Indiana.

Edey's dominance­ stretched to the Big Te­n Tournament, where he­ logged back-to-back affairs of 30 points and 10 rebounds, an accomplishment re­ached by scarcely any performe­rs in the last 25 years.