The Bag: Zach Edey

I always eat the same foods — night before, I'll have sushi. We have a snack in our locker room called Honey Stingers, I'll have two of those. I'll have energy chews right before we step on the court. It's just a very certain way of doing things, I think even if superstitions aren't real. I think at least it kind of gets you in the right mindset to get ready for the game. You can do the same things every single time before you play, you get your mind right."

On Pregame Rituals

Zach edey

The most productive player in college basketball is 7' 4", 305 pounds, Canadian, and didn't grow up playing the sport. Zach Edey is the latest in a line of ultra-productive big men for the Purdue Boilermakers, which won the Big Ten in the regular season, and has picked up major award after major award at the end of the regular season — he was the conference's Player of the Year, has had his name written in pen on multiple first-team All-American teams for months, and has a chance to be the first Boilermaker since Glenn Robinson in 1994 to be named the consensus National Player of the Year. "There's no fancy answer," Edey tells Dime when asked what has led to the best year of his basketball playing career. "I didn't do one thing in the offseason and all of a sudden I'm just a different player. It was slowly putting the work in, gradually building up over time. What you see now is a product of what I did my freshman year, what I did my sophomore year, the work I've put in throughout my years. It's just now being shown on the national stage, I have that role and have that opportunity." On the year, Edey is averaging 22.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 31.6 minutes per game. Now, his focus is on leading Purdue to the first national title in program history. But before that happens, Dime caught up with Edey to discuss the routines, his travel must-haves, and the things he made sure he brought with him when he started life in West Lafayette.

On The Bag

"I have one bag I always use. Not for any reasons, I just like it. There's this duffel bag I got my freshman year, we did one tournament, we played Liberty and we played Clemson in it. My freshman year, it was our first two games and we got that duffle for it. And I just use it ever since just cause I like it. I'll bring it back to Canada, bring it to road games, everything."

On His sneakers

"I don't have many options with my foot size 20. So there's two shoes that Nike makes — the one that I liked, actually, they stopped making, the Nike Zoom Rize 2s. I've had a pair of those basically since my freshman year. I think my freshman year I wore the Nike Zoom Rize, and then my sophomore year, I wore the Zoom Rize 2s. So, I kind of stuck with that brand because they're comfortable. I usually wear my shoes until they're broken. I hate switching shoes, if I'm feel like I'm doing well, I'm playing well in a certain shoe, I wanna stick with the same brand."

On family photos

"Since I moved away from high school, my 11th-grade year, we made one of those boards where you can put tacks in them. And we just put a bunch of photos on them, just like my family, my brother, my mom, my dad, my dog, different things."

On HIS Personal Mementos

"I'll always have these two little things. I've had this one forever, it's a little Jade Buddha. And this is a horse, because I'm Chinese and my birth year is the Year of the Horse in Chinese. I've never told anyone this, but the little Buddha is because when I was a little kid, I was so fat, my parents called me a little Buddha. I was like two feet, 12 pounds, 11 ounces when I was born. My parents taught me a little (about) Buddha, and my mom got me this little Jade Buddha as a reminder of that."

On Sleep Essentials

"I have one pillow that I've always had. I'll take it for road games, I'll take it when I'm here. I've had that thing probably for six or seven years. It's just comfy, I dunno, I broke it in a certain way. When you're in those hotels, those pillows can be unpredictable, so that really helps."

On His Entertainment

"I'm kind of in between shows right now. I just finished "You" on Netflix, that was pretty good. I think they're coming out with another half of the season. But nothing in particular, just whatever I think is good."

Photo by Darrell Ann

PRESENTS

The Bag

By Jason Tabrys

By Bill DiFilippo

Zach's Pick: Sushi

Zach's Pick: Duffel Bag

Zach's Picks: Nike Zoom Rize

Stefon's Pick: Beats Headphones

Zach's Pick: "You" on Netflix

Zachs Picks: Pillow

On His Gameday Music Essentials

Writer – Bill DiFilippo Designers – Joe Petrolis, Carlos Sotelo Olivas, Daisy James Project Manager – Jason Tabrys Uproxx Sports Editorial Director – Martin Rickman

On Favorite TV Shows

"I'm a pretty superstitious guy. The way I get ready for games is the exact same. I'll take a nap, I'll go to the gym, I'll warm up. Every day after practice, basically since freshman year, I've stayed after and shot 200 hook shots every day, it kind of helps me get my touch. I'm not someone who can just do something one day and then not do it another day. I always eat the same foods — night before, I'll have sushi. We have a snack in our locker room called Honey Stingers, I'll have two of those. I'll have energy chews right before we step on the court. It's just a very certain way of doing things, I think even if superstitions aren't real. I think at least it kind of gets you in the right mindset to get ready for the game. You can do the same things every single time before you play, you get your mind right."

The most productive player in college basketball is 7' 4", 305 pounds, Canadian, and didn't grow up playing the sport. Zach Edey is the latest in a line of ultra-productive big men for the Purdue Boilermakers, which won the Big Ten in the regular season, and has picked up major award after major award at the end of the regular season — he was the conference's Player of the Year, has had his name written in pen on multiple first-team All-American teams for months, and has a chance to be the first Boilermaker since Glenn Robinson in 1994 to be named the consensus National Player of the Year. "There's no fancy answer," Edey tells Dime when asked what has led to the best year of his basketball playing career. "I didn't do one thing in the offseason and all of a sudden I'm just a different player. It was slowly putting the work in, gradually building up over time. What you see now is a product of what I did my freshman year, what I did my sophomore year, the work I've put in throughout my years. It's just now being shown on the national stage, I have that role and have that opportunity." On the year, Edey is [BILL FILLS IN WITH STATS AND SOMETHING ON WHERE PURDUE IS HEADING INTO THE TOURNAMENT]. Now, his focus is on leading Purdue to the first national title in program history. But before that happens, Dime caught up with Edey to discuss the routines, his travel must-haves, and the things he made sure he \ brought with him when he started life in West Lafayette.

The most productive player in college basketball is 7'4, 305 pounds, Canadian, and didn't grow up playing the sport. Zach Edey is the latest in a line of ultra-productive big men for the Purdue Boilermakers, which won the Big Ten in the regular season, and has picked up major award after major award at the end of the regular season — he was the conference's Player of the Year, has had his name written in pen on multiple first-team All-American teams for months, and has a chance to be the first Boilermaker since Glenn Robinson in 1994 to be named the consensus National Player of the Year.