Purdue center Zach Edey announced Wednesday on social media that he will withdraw from the 2023 NBA draft and return to the Boilermakers for his senior year.
Edey was the Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American last season after averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks on 60.7% shooting from the field. He became the first player in history to record 750 points, 400 rebounds, 70 blocks and 50 assists in a season.
The 7-foot-4 Edey became the second player to lead the conference in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage. He is one of nine players to accomplish that feat in a major conference and the first since Blake Griffin in 2009.
The jersey is back on the rack.
🇨🇦 One more year with @zach_edey. pic.twitter.com/r6Qp22z2jY
— Purdue Men's Basketball 🚂🏀 (@BoilerBall) June 1, 2023
Edey initially declared for the draft on April 18 while retaining his college eligibility. He met with teams to gain feedback on his draft stock and opted to come back after testing the process over the past month and a half.
He was most commonly projected to be a late second-round pick this year. The decision to stay in school will enable him to work on his game and improve his draft positioning ahead of 2024, which is thought to be a weaker class.
With Edey back, the Boilermakers project to be one of the top teams in the country entering the preseason and a likely favorite in the NCAA Tournament.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=650262453]