Edey withdraws from NBA draft, will return to Purdue

Purdue standout center Zach Edey, the consensus men's college player of the year, will return to the Boilermakers for his senior season, he announced Wednesday.

The Canadian big man had a dominant junior campaign, tallying 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. He led the Boilermakers to both the regular-season Big Ten title and the conference tournament championship.

However, Edey and Purdue's impressive season came to a sudden halt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament following an upset loss to Fairleigh Dickinson.

Though the 7-foot-4 talent was sensational in college, he was far from a certainty to be drafted. Multiple mock drafts penciled him in as a borderline late second-round pick at best, with his lack of quickness cited as a possible concern at the NBA level.

Heading back to Purdue could present Edey with another fruitful return next season, too. As part of their non-conference schedules, the Boilermakers are scheduled to face Alabama on Dec. 9 in Toronto, Edey's hometown, according to Sam Lance and Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog. The 21-year-old Edey has never played in the city during his NCAA career.

College athletes who declared for the draft had until Wednesday to withdraw and maintain their eligibility. The NBA's own draft withdrawal deadline is June 12.