CBS Sports activities faculty basketball insiders Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander spent a month surveying 100-plus Division I males’s basketball coaches for our annual Candid Coaches sequence. They polled throughout the game’s panorama: among the largest names in faculty basketball, but in addition small-school assistants in low-major leagues. Coaches agreed to share unfiltered opinions in alternate for anonymity. We requested them 10 questions and are wrapping up our outcomes this week.
In 1958, The Sporting Information was the primary group at hand out a nationwide participant of the yr award in faculty basketball. Within the ensuing years, 5 extra voting homes emerged that gave faculty basketball six historically acknowledged nationwide participant of the yr awards: The Naismith Award, The Related Press, The Wood Award, The Nationwide Affiliation of Basketball Coaches, The Oscar Robertson Award and Sporting Information.
Within the six-plus many years since, 12 males’s basketball gamers have repeated as nationwide participant of the yr by successful the honour from one of many six NPOY outfits in back-to-back years. In some years, there may be overlap as a result of one participant took dwelling some NPOY awards, whereas one other snagged one from a unique group that very same season.
• Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati (’57-58, ’58-59, ’59-60)
• Jerry Lucas, Ohio State (’60-61, ’61-62)
• Invoice Bradley, Princeton (’63-64, ’64-65)
• Lew Alcindor, UCLA (’66-67, ’67-68, ’68-69)
• Pete Maravich, LSU (’68-69, ’69-70)
• Invoice Walton, UCLA (’71-72, ’72-73, ’73-74)
• David Thompson, NC State (’73-74, ’74-75)
• Mark Aguirre, DePaul (’79-80, ’80-81)
• Ralph Sampson, Virginia (’80-81, ’81-82, ’82-83)
• Michael Jordan, UNC (’82-83, ’83-84)
• Jay Williams, Duke (’00-01, ’01-02)
• Luke Garza, Iowa (’19-20, ’20-21)
As a result of faculty basketball has no Heisman Trophy analogue, the participant of the yr scenario in hoops can typically get sticky. Shane Battier received 5 of the six NPOY awards in 2001 … however his teammate, Jay Williams, received the NABC’s model of it that season, stopping the sweep and permitting Williams to technically go back-to-back after he received all six in 2002. Obi Toppin received 5 of the six in 2020, however Sporting Information opted for Garza, which then gave the Iowa massive man back-to-back allowance in 2021 after he swept all six.
In the event you’re on the lookout for the final particular person to win NPOY in back-to-back seasons in at the least two of the massive six awards — and particularly, essentially the most acclaimed ones: Naismith, Wood and Robertson — it’s a must to return greater than 40 years. Sampson’s three-peat at Virginia was the final time males’s faculty basketball really had a no-doubt-about-it repeat nationwide participant of the yr winner.
So, we requested 100-plus coaches:
Will Zach Edey repeat as nationwide participant of the yr?
For coaches who voted no, listed here are gamers who acquired a number of votes: Hunter Dickinson, Kyle Filipowski, Armando Bacot, Donovan Clingan, Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Quotes that stood out
Why Edey’s gonna do it
• “Zach Edey is essentially the most dominant power. He continues to enhance and elevate his recreation and he shouldn’t be penalized this season for FDU’s miraculous recreation. If not for that, we might all be within the Zach Edey camp for participant of the yr.”
• “I do know it is at all times smarter to take the sphere, however Edey simply ran away with it final season. Purdue goes to be actually, actually good once more. I simply do not see how he falls off. So I will go along with Edey. However I will not be shocked if it is one other massive. Regulate Filipowski.”
• “Man places up online game numbers.”
• “Zach Edey will win Nationwide Participant of the 12 months for a second straight season until there may be voter fatigue from watching him dominate. The high-end star energy on the guard spot simply is not there and he is the very best of the bigs.”
• “Edey is essentially the most dominant power within the faculty recreation and the school guidelines permit him to stay dominant as a real low-post middle. There may be not a participant in America that impacts the school recreation like he does night time in and night time out. He forces a double crew on offense, is almost not possible to blockout and fully takes away the paint defensively.”
• “I believe his degree of manufacturing is at such a excessive degree that, even when he does not play nicely, his numbers are nonetheless extraordinarily spectacular and the influence he makes on successful continues to be very excessive. And they will have an excellent yr.”
• “It is laborious to think about another person successful [player of the year] over Edey. He is essentially the most dominant participant in faculty basketball. Final yr we performed at Purdue, and all the things they run goes by way of him. The underrated purpose why I imagine he has an opportunity to repeat is he’s enjoying with nice guards in Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. As freshmen they did a hell of a job enjoying with Edey. You’d should think about with one other yr of chemistry, Edey could also be much more dominant, if that is doable.”
Why he’ll fall quick
• “Historical past tells us no, so I will say no. Who wins the award? That I don’t know, however historical past simply tells us that it will not be Zach, so I might take the sphere.”
• “It is not simply having a great yr. (Oscar) Tshiebwe, Kentucky had a down yr. The accidents they undergo and the game-planning for him shall be completely completely different. It is like saying Tiger Woods vs. the sphere. Though you recognize there is a good probability, it is powerful to go towards the sphere.”
• “Similar to Edey final yr, any individual not being mentioned and off the radar will win it.”
• “(Donovan) Clingan as a result of he had a really excessive O-rating and utilization on the very best crew within the nation. He simply wants to keep up that degree of effectivity with extra minutes and his counting stats (factors and rebounds) shall be player-of-the-year degree. He additionally actually impacts the sport defensively. He’s a really versatile participant, which means you do not have to be married to at least one type with him. He makes you nice in transition due to his potential to rim-run, but in addition he’s an elite half-court participant who makes others higher by placing strain on the rim within the pick-and-roll.”
• “No, solely as a result of it is very laborious to win back-to-back. You must be that significantly better than you had been the yr earlier than.”
The takeaway
Up to now two years, Luke Garza and Oscar Tshiebwe had been the primary reigning NPOYs to return to D-I males’s faculty basketball since Tyler Hansbrough in 2008-09. None of them might rise above the remainder of the game for a second straight season. That is actually laborious to do, even whenever you’re already a dominant participant.
However, barring harm, I am right here to let you know Edey’s going to do it in 2024. One main purpose why, as I detailed in a takeout piece on the 7-foot-4 Canadian colossus earlier this yr: He is nonetheless fairly new at this basketball factor. Edey rejected basketball till halfway by way of his highschool profession. And but, right here he stands as a singular powerhouse. His ascent is rare. Edey’s abilities are nonetheless being honed. As a result of he is so devoted, so enormous and nonetheless rising as a participant — and since he is doing this for top-of-the-line coaches within the sport in Matt Painter — it is establishing for Edey to once more be essentially the most helpful and irreplaceable participant in faculty basketball.
His averages final season: 22.3 factors, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 assists to pair with 60.7% capturing. Edey was the primary participant in NCAA historical past since blocks grew to become an official stat to log at the least 750 factors, 400 rebounds, 70 blocks and 50 assists in a season. Even when his position barely decreases (laborious to see that taking place), Purdue is poised to once more be top-of-the-line groups within the nation.
The desk is ready for Edey to repeat.
The story of Purdue’s push for March redemption shall be one of many largest in faculty hoops in ’23-24. How Edey handles new defensive ways tossed his means shall be one other. He might have gone to the NBA and, for my part, would have been drafted. It is higher that he determined to return. In coming again, he is chasing faculty basketball immortality. I believe he will get there and edges out the likes of Dickinson (who comfortably had essentially the most write-in votes among the many coaches who stated Edey would not do it), Clingan, Bacot, Filipowski, Kalkbrenner, Justin Moore, Tyler Kolek or whomever you wish to challenge as a First Workforce All-American.
It is a fantastic factor for males’s faculty basketball to have somebody like Edey choose again in. For him, final season was particular. This season could possibly be legendary.
His dimension makes him an attraction.
His potential makes him, and his crew, arguably the largest story heading into the season. And after we get to the top of it, even when Purdue does not win a nationwide championship or get Painter to his first Last 4, I imagine Edey will once more be holding up his {hardware}, including to his crowded trophy case and solidifying his identify amongst the all-time legends of the sport.