If you ask who is the most watched basketball player in the NCAA right now, Purdue University’s Zach Edey will definitely be on the list.
With a Chinese face, Edey, whose Chinese name is Zhou Zhihao, is Chinese-Canadian. His height of 7 feet 4 inches (about 224 centimeters) makes him look like a giant on the court, and unlike those tall men who are tall but slow to move, Edey has excellent low post singles and athletic ability, plus 7 Cheng Duo’s. his excellent free throw shooting skills earned him the title of “Little Yao Ming”.
Last season, Edey, a junior, posted 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.1 blocks, and a shooting percentage of 60.7% It can be said that he is one of the best centers in the American college competitions. However, although the statistics are already a monster, I did not expect that Edey could evolve further this year. This season, he scored 24.6 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 blocks, and shot 62.4% from the field. become the best player in the current college game There is no such thing as a dominant center.
“Your name should be Zachille O’neal.”
This is the title given to Edey by Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal after he posted 20 points and 3 blocks in three consecutive games. What is surprising is that such a player has been exposed to formal basketball training for less than six years, but he is already full of honors in college basketball. He is not only the best player in the Big Ten Conference in 2023 and 2024, but also in terms of scoring and among the top three in the history of the league in terms of rebounding.
However, such a dominant center was considered highly unlikely to be selected in last year’s NBA mock draft. Even if there was a chance to be drafted, it would be a second round selection at best.
This ultimately led to Edey opting out of the draft and deciding to return to college for another year, a decision that ultimately proved to be the right one.
Not only did the stats improve overall, but he also led Purdue University out of the situation of being upset by a lowly ranked team last year and all the way to the Final Four. With his performance, his draft value has also increased. In this draft year which is considered to be lacking in talent, he has a chance to enter the lottery area with the top 14 picks.
From possibly going undrafted to entering the lottery, this symbolizes his transformation from being underestimated to proving his worth with his strength, the epitome of Edey’s journey.
The tall body hides the soul of hockey and baseball
“I told his parents once.”
“You should let him have a basketball in his hand.”
Like many children growing up in Canada, Edey’s first sport was not basketball, but ice hockey. However, when he was only eight years old, he was already almost 180 centimeters. Such a tall figure made the ice hockey coach think that he should play basketball. Even when playing against kids his own age, he had to be careful not to swing his elbow over someone’s head. Even if he is just standing still, if someone hits him, Edey’s massive size will cause the opponent to fall, resulting in a foul call.
“I know a lot of people are talking about me.”
“I know I’m different from others.”
“I accept my differences and hate being the same as everyone else.”
“Like a tall Chinese player.”
“It feels like you have to fight the world all the time.”
Growing up, Edey was ostracized and discussed because her height did not match the height of other children her age, a phenomenon exacerbated by the presence of Chinese-American faces. However, Edey said in a later interview that these comments did not bring him down, but instead developed his rebellious character. When others asked him to do something, he would not do it.
Therefore, he did not follow the ice hockey coach’s advice to play basketball at first, but because he had practiced ice hockey since he was a child, he had better lower body flexibility than the average tall man, laying a good foundation for his subsequent sports. .
“That day, my parents took me to a meadow.”
“I thought we were going on a picnic.”
“But he was trying baseball, and they wanted me to try it.”
By chance, baseball entered Edey’s life. Originally they planned to attend a football training camp, but while waiting, Edey’s tall figure was immediately noticed by Jeff Wolburgh, the coach of the nearby youth baseball team, who asked Edey’s parents if they were interested in letting him children try baseball.
At first, because of his rebellious personality, Edey was not very interested in baseball, but after some training, he began to find baseball interesting. In addition, his high status limited his development in hockey ice at the same level, making it Start training for baseball.
And Edey is really talented. Not only can he throw fastballs at 70 to 75 miles per hour at a young age, but he is also very powerful at hitting. His footwork and huge strides make him made useful in guarding first base. The coach also remembered that baseball allowed Edey to find himself. In the past, because of his height and face, Edey had always been a rather shy and introverted child off the field. sport, but as long as he was standing on the field, Edey’s enthusiasm and desire to win was unparalleled.
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