Purdue’s Zach Edey is the official recipient of the.2023 men’s Naismith Player of the Year award, it was announced on Sunday.
The 7’4” star helped lead the Boilermakers to the Big Ten conference title. However, Edey’s chances at a national title were cut short after the team lost in the first round of the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament as a No. 1 seed to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson.
As a Canadian, Edey is the first college player from the country to win the award. On top of that, he made history by becoming the first player of Chinese heritage to earn the award.
“Winning the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy is one of the greatest individual honors that a collegiate basketball player can achieve,” Edey said in a press release. “Dr. Naismith is a historic figure in Canada, so winning this award is very special to me and all Canadians, and I am proud to represent all of Canada in accepting this award. It is also incredibly humbling to be the first Chinese-heritage player to win this award, and I hope that it opens the door to millions of youth worldwide to learn, play and enjoy the game of basketball.”
𝒯𝐻𝐸 𝐵𝐸𝒮𝒯 𝒫𝐿𝒜𝒴𝐸𝑅 𝐼𝒩 𝒯𝐻𝐸 𝒞𝒪𝒰𝒩𝒯𝑅𝒴
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) April 2, 2023
Zach Edey is the 2023 @jerseymikes Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year 🏆 pic.twitter.com/LigAy7QahK
The Boilermaker also earned the honors of Big Ten Player of the Year and Associated Press’ Player of the Year, and he was named to the AP’s All-American men’s basketball first team.
Edey finished his junior season on top of multiple Purdue stat lines, including his averages of 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. The center racked up 27 double-doubles, more than any other player in men’s college basketball this season.
Edey still hasn’t expressed his plans for the future as he could potentially return to the Boilermakers’ lineup next year.
