How tall is Zach Edey? Purdue star, national player of the year is Big Ten's tallest player
Over the past two seasons, Zach Edey has established himself as one of the most decorated players in modern college basketball history.
The Purdue center swept the six major national player of the year awards in 2022-23, and is an overwhelming favorite to replicate the feat this year. In an overtime loss against Wisconsin last Saturday in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, he became the all-time leading scorer in Boilermakers history.
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Edey doesn’t just tower over his peers metaphorically; he does so in a very literal sense, too.
The combination of Edey’s skill and his domineering physical stature has allowed him to dominate the sport for much of his college career, with opposing big men giving up at least a handful of inches every time he takes the court.
As Purdue aims to make its first Final Four since 1980, win its first-ever national championship and, in the process, get some measure of redemption after becoming just the second No. 1 seed ever to lose to a No. 16 seed, Edey will be a central figure — not only for his team, but for the entire NCAA Tournament.
Invariably, the discussion with Edey will shift beyond his statistical excellence and back to his sheer size. What to know:
How tall is Zach Edey?
On Purdue’s official roster, Edey is listed at 7-foot-4.
Edey is the tallest player not only in the Big Ten this season, but also in the conference’s lengthy history. That said, he's not the tallest player in one of college basketball’s major conferences this season. That distinction belongs to 7-foot-5 Missouri center Connor Vanover.
Though he’s the tallest of the group, Edey’s the latest extraordinarily rangy player Purdue has had lurking in the paint. Over the past six years, the Boilermakers have had 7-foot-2 Isaac Haas and 7-foot-3 Matt Haarms as productive centers for winning teams.
That run won’t end when Edey completes his college career, either. Purdue coach Matt Painter has signed 7-foot-3 Daniel Jacobsen, a three-star center in the 2024 recruiting class from Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.
Zach Edey weight
Edey is listed on Purdue’s roster at 300 pounds. His weight is up from the 285 pounds he was listed at as a freshman in 2020-21, but down from the 305 pounds he was at last season.
That combination of height and weight makes Edey not only one of the biggest players in college basketball, but also the NBA, where he doubtless has his eyes set following his college basketball career. At 7-4, 300 pounds, Edey would tie the Houston Rockets' Boban Marjanovic and San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama as the tallest players in the league, per official NBA stats.
However, he outweighs both of them: Marjanovic by 10 pounds, and Wembanyama by 90.
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Zach Edey stats
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Edey is averaging 24.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.
It marks the second straight season that he has averaged a double-double. While helping lead Purdue to a Big Ten championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2023, Edey averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
His 2,339 career points rank him sixth in Big Ten history, 274 points behind former Indiana star Calbert Cheaney. He has 1,234 career rebounds, the third-most in Big Ten history.
Zach Edey highlights
Impressive as Edey’s numbers are, his touch around the basket and his other fundamentals make him a compelling player to watch, not merely someone who is unusually tall.
Here are some highlights of Edey from last season:
What year is Zach Edey in college?
Edey is a senior in his fourth season at Purdue.
Since he participated in the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season, he has a fifth season of eligibility he could use because of an NCAA waiver. Though he has that extra season available to him, he won’t be using it, at least not at Purdue. Painter said in late February that this season will be Edey’s last one with the Boilermakers.
While there are questions about how his size and skill set will translate to the next level, Edey is widely projected as a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. USA TODAY has Edey as the No. 26 overall selection.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Zach Edey height, weight: How tall is Purdue basketball star?
