Purdue's Zach Edey declares for NBA draft, maintains eligibility

Purdue center Zach Edey, the consensus national player of the year in men's college basketball, announced Tuesday that he plans to enter the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.

Edey has until May 31 if he wants to withdraw from the draft and return to the Boilermakers for his senior season.

«My basketball journey has been unorthodox to say the least, but I wouldn't change a thing about it,» Edey wrote in a post on social media. «From ranked 437 in my class to National Player of the Year, I can't put into words what Purdue University, my teammates, my coaches, and our fans mean to me. Though we fell short of our ultimate goal this season, I loved every second of it.

»With that being said, I'm putting my name in the NBA draft while maintaining my college eligibility. I will evaluate my future after going through the process and look forward to what's next."

A 7-foot-4 center from Canada, Edey dominated all season and led Purdue to Big Ten regular-season and conference tournament championships. He averaged 22.9 points and 12.9 rebounds and shot 60.7% from the field — ranking sixth in scoring, second in rebounds and 21st in field-goal percentage. Edey also averaged more than two blocked shots per game.

He scored at least 30 points on eight occasions, including finishing with 38 points and 13 rebounds in a late-January win over Michigan State. Edey scored in double figures in every game this season and had 28 double-doubles.

Edey made tremendous strides in his three years in West Lafayette under Matt Painter, entering college as an unranked recruit coming out of high school.

Purdue reached No. 1 in the polls and earned a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament before being stunned by 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the