Purdue basketball center Zach Edey, almost certain to be a two-time national player of the year, said goodbye and thanked fans Sunday at Mackey Arena.

The program rewarded Edey as coach Matt Painter pointed to the rafters as they unveiled his No. 15 hanging next to Purdue's other All-Americans' numbers.

"He always showed up" for four years, Painter said. "He deserves everything that comes his way."

Edey has 2,282 career points, 41 behind Rick Mount's program record. He also has a school-record 1,211 rebounds, and 61 career double-doubles.

The 7-4 senior thanked Painter: "Four years ago, you took a chance on me when no one else would."

Edey also thanked assistant coach Brandon Brantley for the extra work that made him college basketball's most dominant player.

"We still got a lot more to do," the Boilermakers star added.

Edey introduced his mother, Julia, who became a noted presence at Purdue games and a fan favorite. She told a story about their official recruiting visit, when a young fan wanted Zach's autograph, even though he wasn't on the team.

"The kid just got a signature from a nobody," she recalled saying at the time.

She also congratulated her son on "making the best decision ever" by attending Purdue.

Edey had a familiar stat line in Purdue's regular-season finale: 25 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in the No. 3 Boilermakers' 78-70 victory over Wisconsin. Purdue completed an undefeated home season and earned the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament.

"I've never played in Mackey Arena when it's not sold out," Edey said in a video played during the festivities.

Teammates also spoke about Edey in video clips, with Caleb Furst noting Edey's "servant's attitude" and Brian Waddell thankful that he will soon be free of the messes Edey leaves in their room.

Mason Gillis, Lance Jones, Ethan Morton, and walk-ons Chase Martin and Carson Barrett also went through Senior Day festivities. Jones has exhausted his eligibility, but Morton and Gillis could take a COVID year.

Jaden Ivey, in his second season with the Detroit Pistons, was also in this Purdue recruiting class.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball senior day: Zach Edey, mom Julia, speech