The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has announced that Zach Edey is one of 20 players named to the initial Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list, the organization released today.
The senior from Toronto is one of four Big Ten centers named, joining Indiana’s Kel’el Ware, Minnesota’s Dawson Garcia and Rutgers’ Clifford Omoruyi on the list.
Edey won last year’s award and is looking to become the second two-time winner of the Abdul-Jabbar Award, as Iowa’s Luka Garza was a two-time winner in 2020 and 2021.
A year ago, Edey was the most-dominant player in college basketball, winning all six National Player of the Year awards, winning the Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy, The Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA), Associated Press (AP) National Player of the Year, National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Player of the Year and The Sporting News National Player of the Year. In addition, he has won the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation’s top center.
Edey is looking to become the first consensus, back-to-back NPOY since UCLA’s Bill Walton in 1971-72 and 1972-73. Ralph Sampson was named in three years from 1981 to 1983, but was only consensus in 1982.
He was named a 2023 first-team All-American by every outlet and in June was named a finalist for the top Male College Athlete ESPY award by ESPN.
Edey became the first Boilermaker since Glenn Robinson in 1994 to win National Player of the Year accolades. He is also the fifth Big Ten Player in the last 14 years to be named National Player of the Year joining Evan Turner (2010), Trey Burke (2013), Frank Kaminsky (2015) and Luka Garza (2021) as National Players of the Year.
Edey earned Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year after a remarkable junior season at Purdue. He was named a consensus first-team All-American, the second straight season that Purdue has had a consensus All-American (Jaden Ivey, 2022), after averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 assists per game.
He became the first player in NCAA history (since blocks became an official NCAA stat) to record at least 750 points, 400 rebounds, 70 blocks and 50 assists in a season, ranking sixth nationally in scoring, second in rebounds, 19th in blocked shots and 21st in field goal percentage (.607), the only player in the NCAA database to rank in the top 25 of all four categories in the same season.
He finished the season ranking sixth on Purdue’s single-season chart for points (757), first in rebounds (438), fifth in field goals made (290), 14th in field goal percentage (.607), first in dunks (76) and second in double-doubles (27).
He has scored in double-figures in 51 straight games, the longest streak in the country, and fourth-longest streak in school history.
For his career, Edey has scored 1,533 points with 847 rebounds, 148 blocks and 106 assists, shooting almost 62 percent from the field.
The No. 3-ranked Boilermakers will face No. 14-ranked Arkansas next Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas, beginning at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed on SEC+.
The Boilermakers then begin the regular-season Nov. 6, in Mackey Arena against Samford, following an exhibition game with Grace College on Nov. 1, in Mackey Arena.
Purdue returns six of its top seven scorers from last year’s team that went 29-6 and won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles.
The 2023-24 Purdue men’s basketball season is presented by Purdue Global, Purdue University’s online educational solution for working adults.
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