The Purdue Boilermakers men’s basketball team was one of the best in the country this past season. They earned a No. 1 seed this year’s NCAA Tournament after they earned a No. 1 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, so they’ve been consistent over the past two seasons. They’ve also had one of the best players in the nation on their team, seven-footer Zach Edey. The reigning National Player of the Year, Edey could well do it again this year and go back-to-back.
Despite that, criticism sharpened up heading into this year’s NCAA Tournament. Why? Purdue is on the heels of futility. Last year, the Boilermakers fell to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in one of the NCAA Tournament’s biggest upsets ever. Despite Edey’s dominance last season, FDU picked the Boilermakers apart. Once you develop even a slight reputation of losing in the NCAA Tournament, that sticks with you.
Edey has also received a fair share of “criticism” over the past few months or so. Those who’ve engaged in the trepidation-inducing activity of “criticizing the college athlete” have thought his pro prospects aren’t too appetizing. Critics of Edey’s game have also highlighted his slow play. Two decades ago, he might have been a lottery pick. This year? Maybe not so much.
So what does head coach Matt Painter think of Edey’s critics? Nothing nice, it seems, much like his thoughts on the NCAA’s scheduling decisions. Painter had much to say about those who’ve criticized his center or claimed he’s only good because he’s tall. He addressed the situation head-on following Purdue’s lopsided win over the Utah State Aggies to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
“Yeah, they just shouldn’t cover basketball,” Painter matter-of-factly said. “You go to school, and you learn things or whatever. But we all don’t like every single class we’re in, right? It’s kind of a necessary evil. It’s like going to work. You don’t like everybody you work with, or you don’t like certain parts of your job. It’s tough right? You’ve gotta be able to deal with certain things that are difficult.
“I just think everybody should like, take tests, on knowledge of what they’re doing. I think all coaches should take tests so they understand refereeing and I think all referees should take a test so they understand coaching. And I think all journalists should have to take a basketball quiz or test. Anybody that tweets, they should have to be able to do it and they say something so moronic as that? Then they should have to have a probationary status where they can’t tweet for three months. I think it’ll help society. Just try to knock out the fools so they don’t have to meet at the local Wal-Mart and say things that don’t make any sense.”
"… Even people that cover the game say [Zach Edey] is just tall. What would you say to the people that say that, that are only looking at the size…?"
Purdue HC Matt Painter: "They just shouldn't cover basketball." 🏀🔥 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/xRtGIcp8s1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 24, 2024
To Painter and Edey’s defense, they aren’t beholden to answer for every critic or every post made. Sometimes, posts turn into running gags, and whether or not Edey’s play is up for criticism, you wonder sometimes if people step out of bounds. Especially when it’s not entirely warranted. It is not as if Edey, Painter, or Purdue basketball have committed atrocious and insidious behavior (a rarity in college athletics, to be sure). So, you wonder if all of this has gotten a tad bit too unscrupulous.
Nonetheless, props to Painter for the adamant defense of his player.
