Purdue's Zach Edey Wins 2023 Naismith Men's College Player of the Year Award

Zach Edey's trophy cabinet continues to grow after the Purdue star was named the Naismith Men's Player of the Year.

Glenn Robinson (1994) is the only other player in program history to win the Naismith Award on the men's side.

Beyond the individual recognition, Edey said the award carries an added significance:

"Winning the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy is one of the greatest individual honors that a collegiate basketball player can achieve. 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 Atlanta Tipoff Club also announced Kansas State's Jerome Tang was the Naismith Men's Coach of the Year. The Wildcats went 26-10 and reached the NCAA for the first time since 2019 in Tang's first season in charge. They advanced to the Elite Eight, where they fell to Florida Atlantic.

Fresh off declaring for the 2023 NBA draft, UCLA guard Jaylen Clark won the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year. Clark averaged 2.6 steals and helped the Bruins allow the seventh-fewest points per game (60.7).

Edey was one of four finalists along with Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis, Gonzaga's Drew Timme and Kansas' Jalen Wilson.

The junior center averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 34 games. Per Sports-Reference, he led Division I in win shares (8.8) and was second behind Jackson-Davis in box plus/minus (plus-15.4). His 27 double-doubles were more than any other player as well.

Edey helped the Boilermakers go 29-5 in the regular season, though their year came to a disappointing end as they became the second No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of the men's tournament.

Still, that didn't diminish what Edey delivered on the court, and he has already watched plenty of postseason accolades come his way.

In addition to being the Big Ten Player of the Year, he was a unanimous Associated Press first-team All-American and received all but one of the 58 votes for the AP's Player of the Year.

The Wooden Award could be next for Edey. He's among the five finalists invited to Los Angeles for the presentation ceremony.

The 7'4" big man still has a year of eligibility remaining, and losing in the first round of the Big Dance for the second time in three seasons could provide sufficient fuel for him to return to West Lafayette.

Edey's pro prospects are a bit murky, too. He was the No. 56 overall pick in the most recent mock draft for Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, and Wasserman didn't rank him among the 50 best players on his last big board.

With another year at Purdue, Edey might be able to prove he isn't quite as limited as some NBA talent evaluators fear.