No, in this case, we mean literally standing above all others. That would be center Zach Edey, who is the tallest player ever to play in the Big Ten conference.

Edey towers above his competition both in the Big Ten and during the 2022 NCAA Tournament. His sheer size is part of the reason that he displaced Trevion Williams, who was named to the All-Big Ten first team in 2021, as Purdue’s top center.

Edey, a 19-year-old sophomore from Toronto, has been one of the best and most efficient scorers, rebounders and shot-blockers in the country. The Boilermakers big man is a star in the making and was one of the team’s best players during its strong 2021-22 campaign.

But just how tall is Zach Edey? Here’s what to know about Purdue’s center and how he matches up against the tallest players remaining in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

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How tall is Zach Edey?

Zach Edey currently stands at 7-4, which makes him the tallest player in Big Ten history. He’s not quite the tallest player in college basketball history — that title belongs to former Florida Tech and Mountain State University player Paul Sturgess, who measured in just over 7-7 — but he could get close to that.

Edey is just 19, and he is still growing, as detailed in a story from the Indianapolis Star. Edey revealed that he was 7-2 when he got to IMG Academy in high school, was 7-3 when he left and 7-4.5 when he got to Purdue.

Now, Edey’s teammates, including Ivey, believe that he has reached the 7-5 mark. And Edey believes that there could be more to come yet. 

“My height goes through weird spurts,” Edey said, per the Star. “I was still growing recently. With shoes on, I could be closer to 7-6 by the start of (next) season. I have no idea.”

If Edey continues to grow and reaches 7-6. That will make him the same height as the likes of Tacko Fall and Mamadou Ndiaye, who represent two of the largest college basketball players in recent memory.

Tallest players remaining in 2022 NCAA Tournament

Edey is, unsurprisingly, the tallest player remaining in the 2022 NCAA Tournament at 7-4. Arkansas’ Connor Vanover is close behind him at 7-3, but he only plays about 7-8 minutes per game for the Razorbacks. So, he doesn’t have as big of an impact as Edey does with Purdue.

There are nine players in the Sweet 16 that are listed at 7-0 or taller. That includes potential No. 1 pick Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) and potential lottery pick Mark Williams (Duke). Nine of the Sweet 16 teams do not have a 7-footer on their roster while two — Arizona and Duke — have two.

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Why Zach Edey didn’t play basketball until late in his youth

Funny enough, Zach Edey actually didn’t want to play basketball during the early stages of his youth. He focused more on hockey and baseball and performed well in each. He reached a AAA classification in baseball, the highest level possible in Canada, and said that he could throw 80 mph with a decent curve, per The Athletic.

With his success in other sports and his height — 6-10 by the time he got to high school — why didn’t Edey want to play basketball?

“I felt like playing basketball would be pigeon-holing myself,” Edey told The Athletic in 2019. “It’s what every tall person does, so I didn’t want to do it.”

Eventually, Edey gave the sport a try when he was a sophomore in high school. He immediately loved it. That led him to try out for a spot on a Toronto-based travel basketball team, the Northern Kings.

Edey made the team. However, as he explained, he had a lot to learn early on in his career.

“I had to learn everything,” Edey said, per The Athletic. “When I first started playing, I didn’t know what a pick-and-roll was. I mean, when I say I didn’t like basketball, I didn’t like it, like, consciously. I tried to stay as far away from it as I could. So I didn’t know anything.”

Though he didn’t know much, Edey made enough progress to eventually land a spot at the prestigious IMG Academy. He worked on his game there and has continued to do so while at Purdue.

Edey has made rapid improvements over the year, from adjusting his shooting motion or free-throw skills to perfecting his release of shots, and the 19-year-old has gotten better with time. He’s hoping he can continue to improve his skill set with the Boilermakers.

Zach Edey stats

Edey’s improvement year-to-year has already been apparent while at Purdue. There’s a reason that the Boilermakers opted to start him over reigning All-Big Ten first-teamer Trevion Williams.

Edey has been a force in the post this season. He has scored at least 20 points in nine games and has failed to reach double figures on just five occasions. He also has posted at least 10 rebounds in 11 games for the Boilermakers.

Below are Edey’s stats from his two years at Purdue, on a per-game basis:

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Zach Edey highlights

During his time with the Boilermakers, Edey has proven that he can make an impact very quickly. That’s part of why his stats are high-level even though he plays just 19.1 minutes per game.

A couple of recent examples of strong outings for Edey came against other Power 5 teams in the NCAA Tournament. First, here’s a look at his 21-point game early in the season against Villanova:

And here is a look at a more recent outing when he posted 25 points against Michigan State in late February: