For the third time in a row, a pivot is named “Player Of The Year” by the AP: after Luka Garza of Iowa in 2021 and Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky in 2022, it is Zach Edey of Purdue who won the trophy this season.
Author of a gargantuan exercise concluded with averages of 22.3 points (61% on shots) and 12.9 rebounds, the Canadian pivot was the obvious favorite throughout the season for this award, which is awarded to him almost unanimously since only one of the 58 journalists who make up the voting panel did not vote for him.
An individual accolade which is added to a “Player Of The Year” trophy in the Big Ten conference obtained earlier in the month, and which above all brings him some comfort, two weeks after a very disappointing end to the season of his team, eliminated in the first round of the “March Madness” despite being seeded #1.
” The season ended in a brutal way, and it sucks, but of course it’s always nice to win an individual trophy » did he react like this. ” Over the past three seasons, I’ve improved steadily, so I’m happy to be rewarded. Even if the end of the season sticks in my throat. »
The sequel for Zach Edey is difficult to analyze. “Junior” this season, he still has two years of eligibility on the NCAA circuit. The NBA is certainly also in the back of his mind, but his “old school” pivot profile is not particularly successful in the NBA in 2023. Still remains the option of the G-League, or Europe .
Or simply the more pragmatic and financially beneficial option for him of returning to the NCAA to enjoy the NIL, while continuing to have fun on the field. Like the Armando Bacot, Drew Timme, Hunter Dickinson or even Oscar Tshiebwe, “dinosaurs” of position 5 in the eyes of the NBA franchises who then chose in their best interest to extend their university careers.
