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Purdue basketball's Zach Edey named Big Ten Player of Year

sam king, lafayette journal & courier
·2 min read
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Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) holds the Big Ten Conference Champions trophy after the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Illinois Fighting Illini, Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. The Purdue Boilermakers won 76-71.
Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) holds the Big Ten Conference Champions trophy after the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Illinois Fighting Illini, Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. The Purdue Boilermakers won 76-71.

CHICAGO − It's awards season in college basketball and Zach Edey is expected to receive quite a haul.

The beginning of those honors came Tuesday when the Purdue junior center was named Big Ten Player of the Year.

Edey is averaging 21.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 assists for the fifth-ranked Boilermakers, helping them win the Big Ten championship.

Edey also leads the country with 23 double-doubles and is one of two Big Ten players, along with former Michigan star Chris Webber, to have at least 600 points, 350 rebounds and 50 blocks in a season.

Edey's Big Ten Player of the Year nod also came with All-American recognition from The Sporting News. He was the only Purdue player on the Big Ten's first, second and third teams.

Edey was joined on the Big Ten's first-team all-conference with Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis, Iowa's Kris Murray, Penn State's Jalen Pickett (all by coaches and media), Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr. (coaches), Northwestern's Boo Buie (media) and Michigan's Hunter Dickinson (media). Edey and Jackson-Davis were the only unanimous selections.

Purdue point guard Braden Smith was named to the league's all-freshman team. Smith averages 10 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Joining Smith on the all-freshman team are Wisconsin's Connor Essegian, Michigan's Jett Howard, Ohio State's Brice Sensabaugh and Freshman of the Year Jalen Hood-Schifino of Indiana.

Smith and fellow Purdue freshman Fletcher Loyer were all-Big Ten honorable mention.

Iowa's Payton Sandfort received the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award. Rutgers' Caleb McConnell and Northwestern's Chase Audige were Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Northwestern's Chris Collins was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue basketball's Zach Edey named Big Ten Player of Year