Edey Nets AP and USBWA Player of the Year Honors

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Purdue center Zach Edey added to his trophy collection today, as the senior was named National Player of the Year by the Associated Press (AP) and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

Edey has now earned Players of the Year accolades from the AP, NABC, Sporting News, and USBWA this season and collected 10 such honors over the last two seasons. Should he receive the Wooden and Naismith Awards, which will be awards over the next several days, he would become the first player since Bill Walton in 1972 and 1973 to sweep all six major awards in consecutive seasons.

Edey is the first repeat winner of the USBWA’s Oscar Robertson Award for the nation’s top player since Ralph Sampson did so in 1980-82. He is also the second Boilermaker to claim the award, joining Glen Robinson in 1994, and gives the Big Ten three of the last four winners (Iowa center Luka Garza in 2020-21).

Edey received 57 of the 62 to earn the AP Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season. Edey is the fifth player to win the award in consecutive seasons though Lew Alcindor also won the award twice in non-consecutive seasons.

For the second consecutive season, Edey’s exploits have dominated the season. The Toronto, Canada native is averaging a Division I-leading 25.0 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.1 assists per game in all games played.

Edey is one of seven players in NCAA history to tally at least 925 points and 450 rebounds in a season, ranking third in Purdue history in points and first in rebounds in a season. He and Shaquille O’Neal are the only players in NCAA history to average 25.0 points per game, 12.0 rebounds per game, 2.0 blocks per game and shoot at least 62 percent from the field in a season.

Edey has produced against the nation's best teams, averaging a combined 41.0 points, rebounds and assists against high-major opposition, currently the first player in at least the last 15 years to average a combined 40 points, rebounds and assists against high-major opposition.

That trend has continued into the NCAA Tournament, where Edey is one of four players (Edey, Elvin Hayes, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain) to average at least 30.0 points and 15.0 rebounds in the first four NCAA Tournament games. He will carry a string of five straight NCAA Tournament games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds into Saturday’s Final Four contest against North Carolina State, tied with Navy's David Robinson (1986) for the longest streak in NCAA history.