Purdue centre Zach Edey vies for the ball between North Carolina State guard Jayden Taylor, left, and forward DJ Burns Jr. during the second half of the NCAA college basketball game at the Final Four on April 6, in Glendale, Ariz. Toronto Raptors centre Kelly Olynyk shook his head in disbelief when he heard that fellow Canadian Edey had won the Naismith Award as U.S. college basketball's player of the year for a second time.David J. Phillip/The Associated Press
Toronto Raptors centre Kelly Olynyk shook his head in disbelief when he heard that fellow Canadian Zach Edey had won the Naismith Award as U.S. college basketball’s player of the year for a second time.
“That guy is nice,” said Olynyk chuckling as he drew out the “nice” for emphasis.
Edey’s Purdue Boilermakers faced the UConn Huskies on Monday night in the NCAA men’s basketball final. The 21-year-old centre from Toronto became only the third male player to win back-to-back Naismiths, joining Hall of Famers Ralph Sampson and Bill Walton, when he won the player of the year award on Sunday.
Olynyk has gotten to know Edey through Canada’s national team program, winning bronze at the FIBA World Cup last September.
“He’s leaps and bounds better, like his improvement has been unreal,” said Olynyk, who first met Edey three years ago. “He’s a great kid, he wants to work, wants to get better. Takes criticism well.
“Just watching him play in college, he’s just so dominant and he’s super efficient. Playing the right way and literally just carrying his team.”
Edey has averaged 24.9 points a game for Purdue this season, the most of any NCAA men’s player. His 12.2 rebounds a game are third most in the collegiate ranks.
But it’s how he’s scoring that has caught Olynyk’s attention.
“His basketball IQ is a lot better,” said Olynyk in the Raptors locker room at Scotiabank Arena. “I think a lot of fans probably wouldn’t see it but if you play the game, if you know the game you see it.
“He sees where the help’s coming from and he’s making the right plays and passing or pivoting away from the help, knows where it’s coming from.”
At 7-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Edey is an imposing presence on any basketball court. Olynyk said that he sees how Edey’s fitness has improved too over the course of the NCAA season.
“Just all around, he’s just been a lot a lot better, but a lot of it has to do with his body,” said Olynyk, who was born in Toronto but moved to Kamloops, B.C., as an adolescent. “It’s leaning out a little bit, his movement, strength and balance, all that kind of stuff, has improved.”