Edey’s Valiant Effort Falls Short: Purdue Star’s Big Game Not Enough to Topple UConn
Zach Edey kept a stoic expression as he descended the steps from the court to leave UConn’s championship celebration behind.
Edey was determined to maintain his composure despite glimpses of the feelings he was filled with, as they began a lengthy stroll. He walked with his hands briefly resting on his head before putting them back at his sides. He turned left and, as he got near to the changing room doors, clenched his right hand around the front of his jersey.
Once he stepped through them, he pulled the front of his jersey over his face.
“Obviously, everyone shows grief in a different way,” Edey said inside.
And all he could do was lament the passing of Purdue’s pursuit of previously unattainable heights. With his space-eating demeanor, back-to-the-basket offensive style, and ability to outmuscle opponents with his length, he utilized all of these skills to get the Boilermakers to within forty minutes of winning a school record and winning their first national championship. Despite being a two-time Associated Press national player of the year, the 7-foot-4 star was unable to overcome a formidable UConn squad that was on its way to becoming history.
Edey finished with 37 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in Monday night’s 75-60 loss to the Huskies, who became the first repeat men’s champion in 17 years. He battled the entire way, including in an individual matchup against a strong post presence in the 7-2 Donovan Clingan.
However, he also won this one almost entirely on his own, with only Braden Smith (12 points) scoring in double figures to set the tone for that solemn postgame stroll that marked the end of an incredible four-year career.
His teammates were ready to pay tribute, too.
“He’s a legend,” guard Fletcher Loyer said. “He’s accomplished what he’s accomplished because of the work he’s put in. He wasn’t handed anything. Mentally he’s very strong to be in the spotlight and have this much pressure and perform the way he’s performed.
“Many, many, many people could never do that.”
Prior to the game, Edey led the nation in both shooting percentage (.625) and blocks (2.16), and he was ranking second with 12.2 rebounds. His average before the game was a national-best 24.9 points. His career scoring record was set in the program. And his genius had enabled Purdue to bounce back from becoming just the second-seeded team to fall to a No. 16 seed (Fairleigh Dickinson) in the previous season, and to make its first trip in the NCAA title game since it was defeated by John Wooden and UCLA in 1969.
In the opening 14 minutes of Monday’s game against Clingan, Edey made 7 of 9 shots for 16 points. At one point, after Dan Hurley of UConn had come near the middle of the court to protest during a timeout over the absence of an illegal screen call on Edey, he also displayed a hint of feistiness.
“That’s just between us,” Edey said of the exchange.
By then, with Purdue getting little production from its backcourt, the Boilermakers had found themselves down 47-38 and fighting uphill against a team that looked like the title favorite from the moment the brackets were announced.
“When you play against a team like UConn, you’ve got to be perfect for 40 minutes,” Edey said. “And there were some stretches where I wasn’t perfect.”
With 36 seconds remaining, coach Matt Painter decided enough, withdrawing Edey one last time with UConn ahead by 15. Edey, who had come to the bench to greet his colleagues, received a hard pat on the back from him.
After Edey walked off the court, he paused briefly to shake hands with a few people and to deliver a gentle high-five to a Purdue supporter who was sitting in the bleachers above him. Still, he maintained that stern expression as Loyer spoke: “I’m sure in his head he wanted to break something really bad.”
“For me, I’m always trying to represent Purdue the right way obviously,” Edey said. “You never want to lower your head. You want to keep your head high no matter what when you have the Purdue jersey on.”
And as the questions turned to his legacy, Edey had a simple thought.
“You can say anything you want about my game, you can say anything you want about how I play,” he said. “But I don’t think you could ever say I never stepped on the court and didn’t give it my 100%. I never took a night off, I never took a practice off for four years. I left everything on the court every time I stepped on. That’s the only thing I want to be remembered for.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.