Purdue junior Zach Edey on Monday helped the Canadian men’s national team to a win over Panama in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifier from Panama City.
Edey, the lone collegiate player on the roster, produced 15 points, seven rebounds and one steal as Canada improved to 8-0 in the Americas region with the 106-50 win. Kelly Olynyk (18 points) and Kevin Pangos (17 points) led the way for Canada.
The win marked the second for Canada in the fourth window of the qualifying games, which wrapped up on Monday. The team defeated Argentina on Thursday behind 23 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who did not travel with Canada to the contest on Monday.
Canada leads all countries in the standings after its two recent wins in Group E, which also features the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The team could have qualified outright for the event with a win by the Bahamas, but it lost to Argentina on Monday.
The top three teams from the group will qualify.
Zach Edey with 15 points tonight for @CanBball in #FIBAWC qualifying win over Panama. pic.twitter.com/P5lDyRK6eu
— Purdue Mens Basketball (@BoilerBall) August 30, 2022
The appearance by Edey was his third with the Canadian senior team in the qualifying tournament. He previously played with the junior team in the 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, averaging 15.1 points and 14.1 rebounds in seven games.
Edey, who was born in Toronto, was named an All-American honorable mention last season after averaging 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks with the Boilermakers. He is the only player in the last 30 years to reach those numbers in 20 minutes or fewer per game.
The 7-foot-4 center is projected to be a second-round pick next year. He did not work out with teams this year and instead opted to return to school to focus on the upcoming season. With Edey back in the fold, Purdue projects to be among the favorites in the Big Ten.
The next qualifying play window for Canada is Nov. 7-15.
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