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Purdue 's Zach Edey declares for NBA Draft; maintains college eligibility

b8vTr9Hoby:Mike Carmin•04/18/23
Penn State v Purdue
Purdue center Zach Edey is the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

WEST LAFAYETTE – Purdue’s Zach Edey declared for the NBA Draft on Tuesday, but the option of returning to the Boilermakers remains open.

College players face an April 23 deadline to declare for the NBA Draft but can withdraw by May 31 to retain eligibility. Edey now has the opportunity to work out for teams and could take part in the NBA Draft Combine from May 15-21 in Chicago. 

During Final Four weekend in Houston, Edey acknowledged he’ll “definitely go through the process” to declare for the NBA Draft and receive evaluations from the league’s scouts and general managers.

He added: “I only have good options in front of me. If go to the NBA, I’ll get drafted. If I don’t go to the NBA, I’ll come back to Purdue, and I’ll make a lot of money, and I’ll have a really good time here. Either way, I have no bad situations.”

More (On3+): Breaking down Zach Edey’s eventual decision

Current NBA mock drafts consider Edey a second-round pick despite the impressive numbers the native of Toronto, Canada posted during this past season.

Edey has been unstoppable at the college level, but the NBA has drifted away from traditional post players in recent seasons, leaving plenty of questions of where he fits at the professional level in the modern era.

“I’m not too worried about fitting in,” Edey said during the Final Four. “A lot of people get lost in modernizing the game. I’ll work on stuff teams want me to work on, but I always believed the NBA is a basketball league at the end of the day. It’s not a 3-point contest; it’s a basketball league. There’s a lot of ways to be really good at basketball.

“I always focus on my rebounding shot blocking and being able to run and up and down the floor and focus on my making shots and free throws. What can I do to get better at the game? If you’re good enough, the NBA will find a spot for you.”

Edey, who finished his sixth year of playing organized basketball, swept the six major National Player of the Year awards 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.

The Big Ten Player of the Year and the league’s tournament Most Outstanding Player has scored in double-figures in 51 straight games, the longest streak in the country and the fourth-longest streak in school history.

In 99 career games, he has 1,533 points, the fourth most for a player through his junior season in school history behind Carsen Edwards, Glenn Robinson, and Rick Mount.

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