Zach Edey, Daniel Jacobsen, Ryan Day, Curt Cignetti and Other Notes

Yahoo Sports NBA Draft analyst Krysten Peek called him “one of the worst picks I’ve seen in draft history.”

That was her instant analysis of Purdue great Zach Edey going ninth overall to the Memphis Grizzlies last June.

“If I’m wrong, I’m happy to take the L,” Peek said. 

One of the worst picks in draft history was selected Tuesday to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Since the NBA began selecting All-Rookie teams following the 1962-63 season, six Purdue players have been honored. Terry Dischinger was voted Rookie of the Year for 1962-63. Joe Barry Carroll was selected in 1980-81, and Glenn Robinson made the team in 1994-95. Carl Landry (2007-08) and Jaden Ivey (2022-23) were second-team All-Rookie picks.

Edey and Grizzlies teammate Jaylen Wells joined Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle of San Antonio, Zaccharie Risacher of Atlanta and Alex Sarr of Washington on the honor team. It’s the second time in five years the Grizzlies have pulled off having two first-team rookies. Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke accomplished the feat following the 2019-20 season.

Former Indiana center Kel’el Ware of Miami was selected to the All-Rookie second team.

Edey led rookies in field goal percentage (58.0), rebounds (8.3 per game) and offensive rebounds (3.5 per game). His 9.2 scoring average was ninth in his class.

Edey led the NBA in rebounding for April with a 15.7 average. His career-high 21 rebounds at Detroit on April 5 broke a 29-year-old franchise rookie record.

Heir apparent?

Another 7-4 Purdue center hopes to spend his summer vacation as a member of USA Basketball’s U19 National Team.

Redshirt freshman Daniel Jacobsen was one of 33 players invited Tuesday to compete for a berth. Training camp will begin June 14 in Colorado Springs, with the 12-member team expected to be announced before it departs from the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup in Switzerland to be played in late June and early July.

Jacobsen helped USA Basketball win the U18 gold medal at the 2024 FIBA Americup in Argentina. He was an All-Star Five second team selection after averaging 9.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots in just 16.2 minutes per game.

Jacobsen set the Americup record with 19 blocked shots in the tournament, breaking the mark set by Indiana Pacers forward Myles Turner.

Jacobsen broke his leg one minute into the second game of his Purdue career a year ago. He scored 13 points with seven rebounds and three blocked shots in 25 minutes of Purdue’s 90-73 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Since the injury, Jacobsen has increased his weight to 250 pounds, almost 40 pounds heavier than when he arrived on campus nearly a year ago.

Big Ten coaching rankings

We’re three months away from the 2025 college football season opening in Dublin, Ireland, with Iowa State and Kansas State playing in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

To fill that gap, the media has started to crank out stories like Paul Myerberg of USA Today’s rankings of the Big Ten Conference’s best coaches.

Here are Myerberg’s rankings, followed by how I would rank the coaches.

1. Ryan Day, Ohio State – Four consecutive losses to Michigan would usually lead to a firing, even with a 70-10 record. But a national championship absolves even the most cardinal sin in Columbus. (My choice: Day).
2. James Franklin, Penn State – Myerberg says Franklin has crafted a Hall of Fame worthy career. I say he’s the Marty Schottenheimer of the Big Ten. (My choice: Dan Lanning, Oregon).
3. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa – Take away the COVID season of 2020, and Ferentz has won at least eight games every other year since 2015. Purdue fans would take that consistency in a heartbeat. (My choice: Ferentz).
4. Dan Lanning, Oregon – He’s not yet 40, but Lanning is mentioned among the nation’s best coaches. (My choice: Franklin).
5. Matt Rhule, Nebraska – While earning his reputation as a miracle worker at Temple and Baylor, Rhule has yet to turn the Cornhuskers back toward national relevancy. Maybe this year. (My choice: Bret Bielema, Illinois).
6. Curt Cignetti, Indiana – “Google me. I win,” Cignetti said when he took over college football’s losingest program. As Muhammad Ali once said, it’s not bragging if you can back it up. While it’s doubtful he’ll win 11 games again in Bloomington, Cignetti one day may be the answer to a Google search: Who is the winningest football coach in Indiana history? (My choice: Cignetti).
7. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota – He’s cocky for a coach with a 33-36 Big Ten record but you can count on Fleck’s teams beating the opponents they are supposed to defeat. (My choice: Fleck).
8. Bret Bielema, Illinois – Forget the fat jokes. Bielema has a formula to win in the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini could be this year’s Indiana as a surprise College Football Playoff team. (My choice: Greg Schiano, Rutgers).
9. Lincoln Riley, Southern California – How does a coach go 55-10 at Oklahoma but suddenly forget how to win? The Trojans are a very mediocre 13-11 the past two seasons thanks to a defense that can’t keep foes out of the end zone. (My choice: Riley)
10. Greg Schiano, Rutgers – His Scarlet Knights are 6-3 in bowl games and are probably glad there’s no such thing as a Big Ten East Division any longer. (My choice: Ruhle).
11. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin – It’s a familiar tale in college football. Coach “A” (Paul Chryst) wins consistently but fans want someone who will take the program to the next level. That was supposed to be Fickell, who discarded the Barry Alvarez formula of physical, power football in favor of the Air Raid. The Air Raid crashed and burned last season, ending a run of 22 consecutive bowl appearances for the Badgers. (My choice: Barry Odom, Purdue).
12. Jonathan Smith, Michigan State – It took Smith three years to turn around Oregon State. Will he get the same amount of time in East Lansing? (My choice: Smith).
13. Barry Odom, Purdue – UNLV hadn’t had back-to-back winning seasons since 1983-84 before Odom arrived in 2023 and went 19-8. Purdue officials are betting what happened in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas. (My choice: Fickell).
14. Sherrone Moore, Michigan – Beating Ohio State is always good job security for any Michigan coach and defeating Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl was another plus on Moore’s resume. Even though he was punished with a two-game suspension this season for his role in the Connor Stalions scouting scandal, Moore has the resources to quickly move up my list. (My choice: Moore).
15. Jedd Fisch, Washington – The Huskies program is one that can prosper in the new Big Ten. A 6-7 season after reaching the national title game in 2023 was disappointing to some, but Fisch is a proven winner. (My choice: Fisch).
16. Mike Locksley, Maryland – Just when it seemed Locksley had something going with the Terrapins, the 2024 season was a major setback. Seven of Maryland’s eight Big Ten losses were by at least two touchdowns. Getting back to a bowl game might be a good idea for Locksley. (My choice: Locksley).
17. DeShaun Foster, UCLA – He did not make a good first impression at Big Ten Media Days, seeming unprepared. That was followed by a 3-6 Big Ten finish. The Bruins need more for $3 million a year. (My choice: Foster).
18. David Braun, Northwestern – Braun was in the right place at the right time in 2023, when Pat Fitzgerald was fired. But the 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year couldn’t repeat the magic in 2024, and another 4-8 season might be the end of the line. (My choice: Braun).

Kenny Thompson is the former sports editor for the Lafayette Journal & Courier and an award-winning journalist. He has covered Purdue athletics for many years.