Meet 7ft 4in NBA Draft prospect Zach Edey who went from feared baseball pitcher to Purdue basketball icon
PURDUE big man Zach Edey is poised to reach new heights in the NBA Draft.
But the 7-foot-4 center was on course to have an elite career in baseball before he turned his talents to basketball.
GettyPurdue center Zach Edey[/caption]
GettyThe 7-foot-4 center is poised to become an NBA Lottery pick[/caption]
GettyEdey throws a ceremonial first pitch for the Chicago Cubs[/caption]
Growing up in Canada, Edey played ice hockey and baseball despite his abnormal size.
And his introduction to baseball at 10 came by accident.
“My parents brought me to a random field one day and I just thought we were having a picnic or something,” Edey recalled.
“All the sudden, it was, ‘There’s a baseball tryout over there. You should go over there’.”
Edey was a foot taller than all the other players on the field, making him extremely intimidating as both a pitcher and batter.
“From a shorter mound, it was so intimidating stepping into the batter’s box,” said teammate Sam Brown.
“He was so much stronger and threw harder than anybody back then.”
His coach Eric Stickney told MLB.com, “It was definitely like a safety concern when he played.
“You would really worry about the safety of the other team’s pitcher if he was able to get ahold of one and hit a line drive.”
At 14, Edey had grown to 6-foot-10 and was able to pitch the ball with extreme velocity for a player his age.
“He was throwing 10, 12 mph faster than every other kid,” coach Jeff Wolburgh remembered.
Edey was so big that he could even hold seven baseballs in one hand.
And he was considered one of the best baseball players in Canada.
After resisting basketball for a long time, Edey eventually took up the sport in high school.
He took to the game quickly, and landed a place at IMG Academy in Florida before securing a scholarship at Purdue.
Edey, who was consensus National Player of the Year in 2024, is projected to be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft in Brooklyn on June 26-27.
X/PrepBaseballONEdey was a star baseball pitcher growing up in Canada[/caption]
X/PrepBaseballONEdey was projected to have a college career in the sport[/caption]
But his former baseball coaches believe that Edey could have become a top college player at the least, had he continued with the sport.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that he would’ve and could’ve gotten to the States for baseball,” Stickney said
“Yeah, he probably would’ve ended up getting a pretty good offer from a pretty good school to play college ball.
“And then, really at that point, the destiny is in your own hands to see what you can do at that level.”
Edey is not sure he could have become a professional player, though.
“It was something I really wanted during my childhood. Something I dreamed about,” Edey said.
2024 NBA Draft order - lottery picks
Atlanta Hawks
Washington Wizards
Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn)
San Antonio Spurs
Detroit Pistons
Charlotte Hornets
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto)
Memphis Grizzlies
Utah Jazz
Chicago Bulls
Oklahoma City Thunder (via Houston)
Sacramento Kings
Portland Trail Blazers (via Golden State)
“I kind of outgrew the sport. My shoulder was kind of giving out a little bit. It wasn’t very realistic anymore.”
His former coaches believe he took the right course in focusing on basketball.
“The competition for being an MLB pitcher is absolutely insane,” Stickney said.
“I think he can be an NBA center. It’s harder to say that about MLB.
“How many pitchers do you have in the minors who you don’t know if they’re ever going to make it?
“There’s so many levels, too.”
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