Purdue star Zack Eddy is quitting NBA Draft and returns for the fourth season of college basketball announced Wednesday evening Just hours before the announcement deadline. The 7-foot-4 player of the year was named the 72nd Player of the Year in CBS Sports’ latest NBA prospect rankings and faced an uncertain professional future as a traditional center in a modern professional game that values Ocean’s prowess in its big men.
With Eddie, who was born in Toronto, working toward obtaining a new student visa that would allow him to leverage his name, image, and likeness more easily at the college level, returning to Purdue could be a solid financial decision. He’s one of the most recognizable figures in the sport after averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game for the Boilermakers last season and will be in the national spotlight again.
Purdue will look to make up for a stunning loss in March to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to Eddie, several other key contributors return from the 2022-23 lineup, which won Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.
Edey starred for the Boilermakers in the 2022-23 season after splitting time at center with Trevion Williams as a sophomore in the 2021-22 season. Up until the NCAA Tournament, results for the Edey-centric lineup were impressive. The Canadian-born center has steadily improved his game each year after embracing basketball late in his childhood, and his return should only cement Purdue’s status as a popular preseason pick to repeat atop the Big Ten.