Add Zach Edey to the long list of successful athletes who struggle to throw a strike. The former Purdue star and two-time national player of the year threw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field on Monday ahead of the Cubs' game against the Padres, and the results weren't pretty.
Zach Edey threw out the first pitch at the @Cubs game Monday ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/n5dDeqV65S
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) May 7, 2024
To be completely fair to Edey, he's likely been spending much of his time on the basketball court preparing for the NBA Combine, which begins Sunday in Chicago.
Still, it was a surprise to see him miss the mark by that much. Edey, who played baseball and hockey in addition to basketball in high school, has discussed how pitching helped his shooting form. In early April, a 2017 video of a then-6-foot-11 Edey pitching resurfaced on social media.
2020 6'11 RHP Zachry Edey
— Prep Baseball Ontario (@PrepBaseballON) July 5, 2017
FB: 74-76
CH: 68-71#FGT2017 pic.twitter.com/y5q3cR9Bwe
All things considered, Edey clearly chose the right sport. As a senior, he became the first player ever to average at least 25 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks and swept all six major player of the year awards for a second straight season, the first player to do so since Bill Walton in 1972 and 1973. Purdue made its first Final Four since 1980 before losing in the championship game to UConn.
Edey is 28th in CBS Sports' NBA Draft Prospect Rankings, a ranking he'll hope to improve upon over the next week-plus in the Windy City.
