Purdue basketball center Zach Edey has a message to all his critics, after his team's loss in the national championship game Monday. Edey wants people to know that he gave everything he could to his team while a member of the Boilermakers.
“You can say anything you want about my game, you can say anything you want about how I play,” Edey said, per the Associated Press. “But I don’t think you could ever say I never stepped on the court and didn’t give it my 100%. I never took a night off, I never took a practice off for four years. I left everything on the court every time I stepped on. That’s the only thing I want to be remembered for.”
Edey's performance for Purdue in title game
The 7-foot-4, 300 pound center did everything he could for the Boilermakers in the team's loss Monday to UConn in the national championship game. Edey finished the contest with 37 points, to go with 10 rebounds. Purdue basketball lost to the Huskies, 75-60, after struggling to score in long stretches during the second half.
Edey seemed out of sync in that second half, missing shots and getting sped up on offense. Following the game, Edey was seen pulling his jersey over his face.
“When you play against a team like UConn, you’ve got to be perfect for 40 minutes,” Edey added. “And there were some stretches where I wasn’t perfect.”
The center finished his college career in Monday's national championship game, as the NBA Draft comes next. Edey is expected to forego his last season of eligibility to turn pro.
Edey accomplished just about everything in his college career except winning a national championship. He was named the Naismith Player of the Year, after averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds this season. Edey also won the respect of his teammates.
“He’s a legend,” Purdue basketball guard Fletcher Loyer said, per the Associated Press. “He’s accomplished what he’s accomplished because of the work he’s put in. He wasn’t handed anything. Mentally he’s very strong to be in the spotlight and have this much pressure and perform the way he’s performed.”
Edey ends his final year in college basketball shooting 62 percent from the field. Purdue basketball fans will surely never forget Edey, who led the team to its first Final Four appearance ever under coach Matt Painter. It was also the first season since 1980 that the Boilermakers made the tournament's final weekend. Purdue also avenged last year's NCAA first round loss, when they bowed to Fairleigh Dickinson despite being a no. 1 seed.
The center is expected to give the NBA draft a shot, despite his critics saying he can't make it in the league since he's not a perimeter shooter. Edey will get his chance to prove his critics wrong.
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