Purdue Center Becomes Only the Third Player to Earn Consecutive Player of the Year Honors
PHOENIX (April 7, 2024) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today that Purdue’s Zach Edey has won the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy for the second consecutive year, honoring him as the most outstanding men’s college basketball player. With repeat winner Caitlin Clark of Iowa receiving the same honor Wednesday, this is the first time in award history that the winners have repeated in consecutive years. It is also the fourth time overall and the third straight season that both Naismith Players of the Year have come from the same conference (1992 ACC, 2022 SEC, 2023 Big Ten).
In addition, UConn’s Dan Hurley was named the 2024 Werner Ladder Men’s Coach of the Year, and Houston’s Jamal Shead earned the 2024 Naismith’s Men’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“With Zach’s unparalleled skill, Dan’s unwavering determination, and Jamal’s relentless pursuit of excellence, each of them truly deserves to be honored with this year’s Naismith awards,” said Eric Oberman, President of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Their outstanding achievements on the court throughout the season have rightfully earned them the highest accolades in college basketball. We take great pride in acknowledging their unrelenting commitment and remarkable talent. Congratulations to the Big Ten for again showcasing the finest talents in men’s and women’s college basketball this season.”
Edey becomes the third player in award history to win more than one Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy, as only Virginia’s Ralph Sampson (1981-83) and UCLA’s Bill Walton (1972-74) have done so. Glenn Robinson is the only other Purdue player to win the award (1994), while Carolyn Peck won the Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year in 1999 at Purdue.
A Big Ten player has won the Naismith Trophy six times in the last 15 years. This includes Edey last year, Luka Garza, Iowa (2021), Frank Kaminsky III, Wisconsin (2015), Trey Burke, Michigan (2013) and Evan Turner, Ohio State (2010). The next closest conference total in this span is two by the BIG EAST, Big 12 and SEC. Edey won this year’s award over finalists RJ Davis (North Carolina), Dalton Knecht (Tennessee), and Shead.
About the 2024 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s Player of the Year Winner Zach Edey:
- Has led the Boilermakers to the Final Four for the first time since 1980 and to their first national championship game since 1969. A victory would be Purdue’s first National Championship.
- He was named the Big Ten’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, becoming only the fourth player in conference history to accomplish this feat.
- He is seeking to become the second player in history to lead the nation in scoring and win a national championship in the same season (Clyde Lovellette, Kansas, 1951-52). Edey is the first player since Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson in 1960 to lead the country in scoring and advance to the Final Four.
- He is the first player since Indiana State’s Larry Bird (1978-79) to have at least 900 points and 450 rebounds in a season (now with 946 points and 464 rebounds). He joins Bird, Houston’s Elvin Hayes, Miami’s Rick Barry, and Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson as the only players to do so.
- Leads the nation in scoring (24.9) and is second in rebounding (12.2). For the second consecutive year, he led the Big Ten in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage (62.5%).
- He has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in six straight NCAA Tournament games, marking the longest such streak in tournament history.
- Became Purdue’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Rick Mount, who held the record for 54 years. He enters the National Championship game with 2,479 career points.
- He is also the school’s all-time leading rebounder, with 1,312, including a school record 464 this season.
- Finalist for the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“I would like to thank the Atlanta Tipoff Club and the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy committee for this award, “said Edey. “It is an incredibly humbling experience to win this award, and to have your name mentioned in the same sentence as Ralph Sampson and Bill Walton is surreal. Without the support of my family, coaches and teammates, I would not be where I am today, and this award is a representation of what they have provided for me in my basketball journey.”
“Jersey Mike’s applauds Zach for his outstanding achievement as the recipient of the 2024 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s Player of the Year award,” said Jeff Hemschoot, Vice President of Marketing at Jersey Mike’s. “His exceptional talent and undeniable influence on the court are remarkable, and we are privileged to honor his remarkable accomplishments again this season with this esteemed award.”
Hurley is the first UConn men’s coach to win the Werner Ladder Men’s Coach of the Year award and the first Naismith Award for the UConn men’s program. After winning last year’s national championship, he has guided his team back to the national championship game tomorrow night. The other 2024 finalists were TJ Otzelberger (Iowa State), Lamont Paris (South Carolina) and Kelvin Sampson (Houston).
About 2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Dan Hurley:
- His team is 36-3 this year and is in consecutive Final Fours for the first time in school history.
- A victory in Monday’s National Championship would be the first time since 2006 and 2007 a school has won back-to-back titles (Florida).
- The 36 victories are a UConn single-season record.
- The BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
- Led team to BIG EAST regular season and conference tournament titles.
- Became only the second player in BIG EAST history, along with Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing, to win the conference tournament as both a player and a head coach.
- In the BIG EAST play, his team registered a league record 18 wins, tied a conference mark with 14 consecutive wins and tied the conference mark in scoring average at +13.9 per game.
“It’s an honor to receive this Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award, which has recognized the titans of our game,” said Hurley. “Credit to my staff and especially the players; without them, none of this would be possible.”
“Werner congratulates Coach Hurley for his dedication and determination displayed throughout the season, contributing significantly to his well-deserved recognition,” said Stacy Gardella, Head of Global Marketing Technology & Operations at WernerCo. “We take great pride in presenting this award, acknowledging excellence in collegiate coaching, and extend our heartfelt congratulations to him for leading UConn’s men’s basketball team to another extraordinary season.”
Shead is the first Houston player to win the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year and is the fourth player from the Big 12 to win this award since its inception, following West Virginia’s Jevon Carter in the inaugural 2018 season, Marcus Garrett from Kansas (2020) and Baylor’s Davion Mitchell in 2021. This is the first time a Houston men’s player or coach has won a Naismith Award. The other finalists were Edey (Purdue), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton) and Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State).
About 2024 Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year Jamal Shead:
- He became the first player in Big 12 history to be named Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
- The only player in the nation to rank among the top 20 individual leaders in assists per game (6.3, 15th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.11, 17th) through games entering the Final Four.
- Earlier this season, he became the only player in school history to record 100+ wins, 1,100 points, 600+ assists, and 200+ steals in his career.
- Twice named the Big 12’s Player of the Week in 2023-24.
“Being the best defensive player on the best defensive team in America definitely boosted me,” said Shead. “We play hard, and we get after everybody. We take a lot of risks, but when you play hard, you can be rewarded with honors from those risks.
“Our system helped me with how hard I play and boosted my overall performance. As you grow in our system, you get to know where your help is and when you can gamble. Once you know the system, you can really thrive in it. I just want to thank my coaches and teammates. Winning the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year award like this boosts our type of system.”
WERNER LADDER NAISMITH COACH OF THE YEAR | JERSEY MIKE’S NAISMITH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Edey and Hurley were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, comprised of leading media members from around the country, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners, all of whom based their selections on outstanding on-court performances during the 2023-24 college basketball season. Additionally, fans had the opportunity to cast a ballot through naismithfanvote.com and on the @NaismithTrophy, NCAA @MarchMadnessMBB and @MarchMadnessWBB Twitter pages, which accounted for 5% of the overall vote. The vote was tabulated and verified by the Atlanta team of J.S. Held, a global consulting firm. The Player of the Year winner was presented with the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy, which is produced and provided by Herff Jones, leading provider of graduation and educational products and services designed to inspire achievement and create memorable experiences for students. A replica trophy will be donated by Herff Jones to Edey’s university. A replica trophy will also be donated by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and Werner Ladder to UConn in honor of Hurley’s accomplishment.
NAISMITH DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Atlanta Tipoff Club’s board of selectors, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, selected Shead, based on his outstanding on-court defensive performances during the 2023-24 college basketball season. For more information about the Naismith Awards, visit www.naismithtrophy.com.
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include AXIA Time, Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.
ABOUT JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS
Jersey Mike’s Subs, with more than 2,500 locations open and under development nationwide, serves authentic fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs on in-store freshly baked bread — the same recipe it started with in 1956. Passion for giving in Jersey Mike’s local communities is reflective in its mission statement “Giving…making a difference in someone’s life.” For more information, please visit jerseymikes.com or follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/jerseymikes), Instagram (instagram.com/jerseymikes), and Twitter (twitter.com/jerseymikes.com).
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Media Contact:
Mallory Hadaway
Atlanta Tipoff Club
(256) 682-0599