2023-24 CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year: Purdue’s Zach Edey honored after returning for another season

For a 2d consecutive season, males’s faculty basketball is in the fantastic place of having a reigning nationwide participant of the 12 months go back to the recreation.

A 12 months in the past, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe opted to come back again after his dominant 2021-22 efficiency. For a very long time, it wasn’t like this. In 2008, North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough swept the nationwide participant of the 12 months. He determined to go back for his ultimate season of faculty basketball. The recreation was once higher for it then, and will probably be higher for it this season.

For a dozen years, a NPOY winner gained and stated good-bye to university hoops — in most cases as a result of the NPOY has a tendency to visit a senior whose eligibility is exhausted at the fruits of his faculty occupation. (In 2021, Iowa’s Luke Garza got here again, however he gained Sporting News’ NPOY award, whilst Obi Toppin gained all different primary NPOY awards that season.)

After a traditionally dominant appearing a season in the past, Purdue’s Zach Edey determined to go back to university. In doing so, he was the rapid 2023-24 favourite to win nationwide participant of the 12 months and firmed up his standing as the maximum well known participant in faculty basketball. (We’ll pass over ya, Drew Timme.)

It’s by no means a very easy factor to expect in October who will probably be the recreation’s absolute best participant by way of the finish of March. Edey turns out other, although. It can be shocking if he regressed as a basketball participant, and given his 7-4 body, he’ll be a stats magnet on a Purdue staff this is virtually universally thought to be one of the 3 or 4 absolute best groups heading into the season. 

As for the nationwide freshman of the 12 months, that dialog is other. You’ll examine our preseason select underneath, however here is one thing to believe: Due to university gamers being afforded an advantage 12 months of eligibility as a result of of COVID protocol, this recreation hasn’t ever been older. It’s put much less of a focus on the peak 10-ranked learners. Based on the previous two seasons, it is been a era or two since five-star frosh had been much more likely to be function gamers than famous person options. 

Will it proceed in 2023-24, or would possibly we glance up in March and spot greater than a pair of beginners emerge as the face of the recreation? — Matt Norlander

Note: The CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year had been voted on by way of faculty basketball writers at CBS Sports and 247Sports in addition to broadcasters from CBS and CBS Sports Network.  

Check out the 2023-24 CBS Sports Preseason All-America Teams

2023-24 CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year

Zach Edey | Purdue | C | 7-4 | Sr.

Edey grabbed 17 rebounds in Purdue’s first recreation ultimate season, then scored 30 issues in the 2d recreation. Very temporarily, it was obtrusive that Purdue’s 7-foot-4 heart can be a statistical monster for one of the country’s absolute best groups, which is precisely the kind of factor that results in any person turning into a real National Player of the Year candidate.

Edey in the end ran clear of the pack.

The Canadian averaged 22.3 issues, 12.9 rebounds and a pair of.1 blocks in keeping with recreation ultimate season whilst main Purdue to the Big Ten regular-season name, Big Ten Tournament name and a No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. He gained each and every primary POY award with ease. And when Edey introduced in past due May that he would go back to university for a minimum of another season, it was once confident that he can be the CBS Sports Preseason National Player of the Year.

Now right here we’re.

Edey is clearly the favourite to once more win all primary participant of the 12 months awards and grow to be the first back-to-back Wooden Award winner since Virginia’s Ralph Sampson in 1982 and 1983 — however doing so would possibly not be simple. Remember, the 2022 Wooden Award winner, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, was once in Edey’s similar place ultimate October after securing the trophy six months previous. But Tshiebwe merely wasn’t as excellent ultimate season as he was once the earlier season, and his Wildcats wildly underachieved relative to expectancies. So Tshiebwe failed to copy as POY and even as a consensus First Team All-American.

Can Purdue and Edey keep away from a identical step backwards this season? Yes, I feel so. My prediction is that the Boilermakers will once more win the Big Ten, and that Edey will once more be the maximum embellished participant in the recreation. I’m anticipating large issues from the large guy and his teammates. But there are causes no person has repeated as a Wooden Award winner since Sampson did it 4 many years in the past, and amongst the causes is that it is simply in reality arduous to do even if you end up meant to do it.

Bottom line, assembly those expectancies would possibly not be a very easy factor for Edey to perform as a result of the bar could be very, very top. But he has the skill and the supporting items to get it executed, and our citizens most commonly imagine that he’ll. — Gary Parrish

2023-24 CBS Sports Preseason Freshman of the Year

Isaiah Collier | USC | G | 6-5

Collier is not even the maximum well known freshman on his personal staff taking into consideration that Bronny James was once additionally section of USC’s No. 3 ranked recruiting elegance. But he’s the Trojans’ highest-rated signee of the trendy technology and is one of the number one the reason why USC is predicted to compete for the Pac-12 name. The Atlanta local completed the 2023 recruiting cycle ranked as the No. 1 general participant in the elegance by way of the 247Sports Composite and must pair effectively with veteran guard Boogie Ellis. Known as an elite passer and true level guard, Collier will take some of the ball-handling duties from Ellis whilst scoring lots himself.

“They compliment each other very well,” USC trainer Andy Enfield stated at Pac-12 Media Day, including that, “Isaiah Collier is very fast and athletic, and what a tremendous passer with tremendous court vision.”

Ellis would possibly nonetheless be USC’s main scorer, however do not be shocked if Collier demanding situations him for that name as he steps right into a herbal void left by way of the departures of No. 2 scorer Drew Peterson and No. 3 scorer Reese Dixon-Waters. The Trojans completed 22-11 (14-6 Pac-12) ultimate season with a first-round go out from the NCAA Tournament, however with a possible top-10 draft select on the roster in Collier, expectancies are upper for the program this season. — David Cobb