'Take a basketball quiz': Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter on Zach Edey critics
Purdue basketball has been hearing it for years: Zach Edey isn't any good, he's just tall.
The senior center is the program's career scoring leader and on his way to a second straight national Player of the Year honor. So for anyone who claims to have basketball knowledge yet says that, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter has a suggestion:
"They just shouldn't cover basketball."
He was just getting started channeling his inner Bob Knight after Purdue's blowout NCAA Tournament win over Utah State. Edey had 23 points and 14 rebounds before sitting down with more than 10 minutes to go.
"You go to school and you learn things, but we all don't like every single class we're in, right? It's kind of a necessary evil. It's like going to work. You don't like everybody you work with. You don't like certain parts of your job."
OK. Now Painter gets more to the point.
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"I think everybody should take tests on your knowledge of what they're doing. I think all coaches should take a test so they understand refereeing. I think all referees should take a test so they understand coaching, and I think all journalists should take a basketball quiz."
If anyone still thinks Edey can't play?
"Anybody that tweets, if they say something so moronic as that, then they should have to have a probationary status where they can't tweet for, like, three months. I think it'll help society. Knock out the fools, so they can meet at the local Wal-Mart and say things that don't make any sense."
“They just shouldn’t cover basketball” 😳
Matt Painter on people who think Zach Edey is good just because he’s tall 👀#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/5S202WSCQF— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2024
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter has words for Zach Edey critics