4 Zach Edey replacements Matt Painter could target if Purdue was never out of scholarship limit
Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers are coming off a run to the national championship game last season, led by senior center Zach Edey. Edey won Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and was vital to Purdue's success.
Edey was Purdue's leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker and will likely be on his way to the NBA next season.
Unfortunately for Painter, he will be unlikely to replace Edey as Purdue lacks scholarship space. However, here are four players he could have targeted if he had the chance:
4 potential Zach Edey replacements Matt Painter could target
#1. Clifford Omoruyi
Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi entered the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility. He has yet to find a new home for the upcoming season, and Purdue could have added a dominant force to replace Edey.
Omoruyi is 6-foot-11 and is one of the top centers available in the transfer portal. Replacing Edey's size (7-foot-4) will be nearly impossible, but Omoruyi is a more mobile player on the interior.
He averaged 2.9 blocks last season, which was third in the nation, along with 10.4 points and 8.3 rebounds.
#2. Moussa Cisse
Ole Miss center Moussa Cisse is another top center that could be a transfer portal target for Purdue. He began his career at Memphis before transferring to Oklahoma State for two seasons. He moved to Ole Miss last season and is now looking for a new home in his final year of eligibility.
Cisse is 7-foot and is one of the top centers Matt Painter could use in place of Zach Edey. Cisse struggled to stay healthy last season, playing in a career-low 26 games. He hasn't put up Edey's scoring and rebounding numbers, but he is an excellent rim protector who averages 1.7 bpg in his career.
#3. Achor Achor
At 6-foot-9, Samford forward Achor Achor wouldn't bring the same size to Purdue that Edey did, but he could score at a high rate, and his rebounding numbers continue to improve. Achor played two seasons at Chipola College in Florida before transferring to Samford in 2022.
His numbers made a massive leap last season when he averaged 16.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.8 bpg. Achor could give Matt Painter an athletic big man who can score and protect the rim at a high level.
#4. Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Hawkins would be another replacement for Zach Edey, who may be slightly smaller than Edey but is extremely athletic. Hawkins measures 6-foot-10 but can play all over the floor. He averaged 12.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 2.7 apg last season at Illinois.
Hawkins is also an elite defender who averaged 1.5 spg and 1.1 bpg a season ago. While he wouldn't be the kind of post-up threat that Edey was, he would have offered Purdue an athletic edge with size and elite defensive ability.