CENTRE STAGE

An inside look at seven-foot-four Canadian big man Zach Edey the most polarizing NBA prospect in the NCAA Tournament

- DOUG SMITH

What’s that old one about the riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma?

When it comes to parsing the potential of Toronto’s Zach Edey — and there’s a lot to think about at seven-foot-four and 300 pounds — trying to figure out the gigantic centre has become one of the most consuming topics of discussion leading up to this summer’s NBA draft.

The senior broke the Purdue scoring record over the weekend, surpassing Rick Mount’s 2,323 career points (1967-70). The 21-year-old Edey finished with 2,339 after an overtime loss to Wisconsin at the Big Ten tournament. The reigning U.S. college player of the year will again lead the Boilermakers at the NCAA Tournament, starting this week, as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region after losing to No. 16 in the first round last year.

NBA insiders — granted anonymity because team officials can’t publicly discuss potential draft picks yet, and because no personnel will truly give exact scouting reports for public consumption — are divided on Edey. A lottery pick? A secondrounder? Anachronistic? The next big thing, literally?

“He’s a player,” one close follower of American college basketball said. “I just don’t know what kind of player.”

And there’s the vexing part when it comes to Edey.

Late bloomer