Zach Edey knows a thing or two about being a finalist for a major college basketball award. So, with the John Wooden Award releasing its list of top-20 candidates for the prestigious honor, the former Purdue superstar and two-time National Player of the Year has some of advice for players.
“I say just do what you do,” Edey said. “Don’t worry about the award, don’t worry about how you end the season, just keep going. Focus on every game, focus on having the biggest impact you can every game. It’ll kind of sort itself out. But you want to win games in the meantime.”
@zach_edey shares some advice to the players up for this years Wooden Award presented by @principal
Zach won the Wooden Award back to back in 2023 and 2024! pic.twitter.com/UnMXdc7Cag
— John R. Wooden Award (@WoodenAward) February 13, 2025
Edey was the winner of the Wooden Award each of the past two seasons, taking home the honor in 2023 and 2024. He was particularly dominant in his senior seasons, averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game. Edey led the Boilermakers to a Big Ten regular season title and a trip to the National Championship Game.
This season, one of Edey’s former teammates — Braden Smith — is among the 20 candidates on the list for the Wooden Award at season’s end. The junior guard is averaging 16.4 points, 8.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.
Below is the complete list of candidates on the midseason watch list for the 2025 Wooden Award.
2025 John Wooden Award Midseason Watch List
HOW TO WATCH PURDUE VS WISCONSIN: No. 7 Purdue hosts No. 16 Wisconsin in a massive Big Ten showdown on Saturday afternoon. TV and radio information, key stats, top players and more. CLICK HERE
CREAN TALKS PAINTER’S SUCCESS: Tom Crean had plenty of experience competing against Purdue coach Matt Painter. The former Indiana coach explained what makes Painter such a unique leader. CLICK HERE
SMITH COMPARED TO CURRY: Michigan assistant coach Mike Boynton recently told CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander that Purdue’s Braden Smith is the second-best point guard he’s coached against. The only one better was Davidson’s Steph Curry. CLICK HERE