Zach Edey named unanimous AP preseason All-American - ESPN

Zach Edey waited until nearly the last second to decide whether he should leave for the NBA or return to Purdue for another season.

Not completely sure what he wanted to do, the reigning national player of the year picked up the phone to talk with his mother and agent. Their response: Do what's going to make you the happiest.

«It was a no-brainer that I'd come back to Purdue at that point,» Edey said. «I get to come back to great teammates, a university that loves me, to compete for every championship that's out there. That's something you don't get very often and something I didn't want to pass up.»

Edey's decision made it easy for Associated Press Top 25 men's basketball poll voters who picked the preseason All-America team.

The Boilermakers' towering center was the lone unanimous pick by a 60-person media panel on the team released Monday. Edey was joined by Marquette guard Tyler Kolek, Kansas center Hunter Dickinson, Duke big man Kyle Filipowski and North Carolina forward Armando Bacot.

Edey had a dominating 2022-23 season to sweep all the major national player of the year awards, including AP. The 7-foot-4, 300-pound center averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 60.7% from the field.

Edey's return was a big reason Purdue is ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. The extra year gives him more time to improve his NBA draft stock, but also perhaps get a bit of redemption after the Boilermakers became just the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 in the NCAA tournament with last spring's loss to Fairleigh Dickinson.

Edey is the second straight AP player of the year to return for another season, following Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe in 2021-22.

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