Ian Eagle after Tracy Wolfson interviews Zach Edey at Final Four: 'We just ordered you a step ladder'
Zach Edey is, in most ever situation of his life, the tallest person around. And that’s possible, even in the world of basketball, when you’re 7 feet, 4 inches tall.
So when he stood next to TBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson for a postgame interview after pushing Purdue in to the national championship game on Monday, the difference was stark. And not helped by the fact that Wolfson stands at around 5 feet, 2 inches tall.
So with more than two feet of vertical space separating the two, play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle had the jokes lined up about Wolfson trying to extend a microphone up to Edey’s face.
“Tracy, we just ordered you a ladder,” Eagle said after Wolfson interviewed Edey, with only the top of her head visible for most of it.
Edey and head coach Matt Painter discussed reaching the title game
Purdue is 40 minutes away from the program’s first national championship. Getting to the Final Four was a huge breakthrough under head coach Matt Painter but they came to Phoenix to play on Monday night. They will now play in the title game after taking down NC State in Saturday’s first game.
From the moment Edey announced he would be returning to Purdue, there was only one accomplishment anyone in West Lafayette would consider a success. It’s been the talking point around the team all year. Even so, one game at a time was the mentality, even throughout the NCAA Tournament and into the Final Four.
Painter’s team has now put themselves in the national championship game and will soon find out their opponent.
“It feels great,” Painter said when speaking postgame to CBS’ Tracy Wolfson. “He (Edey) didn’t come back to win a couple of games in the tournament. He came back to compete for a national championship. But you got to put yourself in position first. Obviously, we’re here now, and we’ll wait to see who wins this next game.”
Last season’s story has been told over and over. A first-round loss to Farleigh Dickinson after earning a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament was an embarrassing moment and just the second occurrence in the event’s history. Narratives have been written about Purdue as a program and most have already been broken.
Adding a national championship would eliminate them all though, and Edey is ready for the challenge. Whether Alabama or UConn joins them at State Farm Stadium on Monday night, locking in for just 40 more minutes is all that’s required.
“It’s what we’ve been talking about all year,” Edey said. “It’s probably been four years now. Playing and accepting that challenge next game. Whoever comes out of this next game is going to be a great team. But we’re going to lock in this game and execute.”