Despite Being Challenged Physically, Zach Edey Opens Up on the “Secret” Behind His Unwavering Focus

Zach Edey has been exceptional this season. He is the Purdue Boilermakers’ top performer and a major contender for all the major National Player of the Year awards. He has single-handedly propelled his team to some ecstatic wins and it was riding on his back that the Purdue won the Maui Invitational tournament. No wonder every opponent wants to get in the mind of Edey.

The 21-year-old recently opened on the same to Scott Van Pelt on ESPN’s ‘SportsCenter.’ And fans were excited to know his process.

What did Edey say?

Edey was asked about the method behind his unwavering focus despite being challenged physically at times by his opponents and what keeps him on his path even when he doesn’t have referee calls in his favor. A composed Edey shared some words of wisdom that had everyone applauding him for having such noteworthy insight.

“Yeah! I mean it’s process. Obviously you don’t want to let the refs take you out of the game. My dad used to tell me this just when I played baseball. But like ‘You always got to focus on the next pitch. You can’t let like a pitch that you just threw affect your next pitch cause then you’re throwing two bad pitches for no reason,’” Edey explained. 

“So I think that kind of applies with referees, they’re trying their hardest to make every right call but you can’t let one missed call affect your next play on defense for example and then give up an easy layup. Then you’re really really messing up the flow of the game,” Edey stated. 

Edey has smashed a whopping 23.2 points per game with 11.9 rebounds per match this season. Thus, he averages a double-double. Plus he is 7 feet 4 inches making him one of the tallest players and that has helped him immensely in scoring humongous points and also nabbing rebounds. But the negative side of it is that since he is the key player for his team, sometimes the opponents try to challenge him physically. 

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And like every referee call is in favor of someone and opposed to another, the calls sometimes are not in favor of the Canadian baller. But that has not hindered Edey from giving his best. In fact, as per his statement, it is clear that he knows how to take things in the stride of his game and focus on his next move. This is one of the contributing qualities that make him such a revered baller at a young age. He also withdrew from the NBA 2023 draft and came back to the Purdue.

How has Edey been with his team this year?

One being asked about the most fun part of being in his senior year at Purdue and not going for the NBA 2023 draft, Edey opined that “really just playing with my team” was one of the best parts of his decision. He also divulged that “this year I’ve really made it a priority myself just to have fun.” Looks like Edey is having the time of his life.

Fans would be hoping that Purdue clinch the NCAA title this season resting on Edey’s heroics. If that happens then certainly his cool and calm demeanor would be playing a crucial role in the Purdue’s exploits.