Zach Edey is named one of many tallest school basketball gamers, however to folks Julia and Glen Edey, he’s merely their athletic son.
Commanding the court docket at 7’4″ and 300 kilos, the Purdue Boilermaker was born in 2002 and raised in Toronto’s Leaside neighborhood, the place he performed baseball and hockey. Regardless of his peak, Julia and Glen did not push their son to pursue basketball. When Zach finally determined he wished to get into the game, although, they had been proper by his aspect.
Julia took him to tour prep colleges and basketball camps round Canada and the US (he graduated highschool from IMG Academy in Florida), and he or she now spends a part of the basketball season close to Purdue, supporting her son. Glen additionally attends video games and reveals assist for Zach.
“Lots of people take a look at their mothers as sort of like their rocks of their life and I am the identical means,” Zach advised The Canadian Press in 2023.
Not solely has Julia made Massive Maple (Zach’s Canada-inspired nickname) merch, she’s typically featured on the Jumbotron at Mackey Area, the place the Boilermakers play, and is understood for her ongoing social media assist of Zach.
“Truthfully, in fact, I’m happy with what he’s doing – it’s insane – however that’s not the place the satisfaction comes from,” she advised GoldandBlack.com in 2023. “It’s how he’s doing it.”
This is all the things to learn about Zach Edey’s mother and father, Julia and Glen Edey.
They grew up in Canada
One among 5 kids, Julia is a first-generation Chinese language Canadian, born and raised within the suburbs of Toronto. She advised WISHTV.com in 2022 that she got here from a “working-class family” that prided itself on the restaurant they owned and the youngsters getting good grades. As soon as she turned 12, Julia helped out on the household enterprise on weekends.
“She is aware of all about onerous work. She is aware of all about working even when nobody’s paying consideration,” Zach advised CBS Sports activities in 2023. “My mother sort of grew up studying stuff on her personal and he or she handed that on to me.”
Glen was additionally raised in Canada. He earned cash as a youngster pumping gasoline and helped elevate Zach with the identical sturdy work ethic.
They had been each athletes
Julia performed baseball and was on the monitor crew when she was youthful — she advised GoldandBlack.com that her declare to fame was breaking the town document in discus in tenth grade.
She began taking part in basketball in ninth grade, similar to Zach. Her mother and father didn’t come to her video games, Julia advised WISHTV.com, not as a result of they had been unsupportive however as a result of they thought it was “simply this leisure factor I did on the aspect.” She tried out for the Ontario provincial basketball crew when she was 17 however did not perceive the semi-pro house nor tips on how to get the right info, a destiny she did not need for Zach.
”I come from an immigrant household … my mother did not have any time to determine this out and it wasn’t one thing at the moment that they’d have ever thought was one thing to aspire [for] when it comes to a dream,” she advised The Canadian Press.
Glen performed baseball, very similar to Zach who excelled on the sport. The younger athlete has stated he even stayed away from basketball on goal, telling The Athletic in 2019, “I felt like taking part in basketball could be pigeon-holing myself. It’s what each tall individual does, so I don’t need to do it.”
They’ve two kids
Glen and Julia have two sons. Their first youngster is Zach, who was born 11 lb., 3 oz., on Could 14, 2002. Their different son, Doug Edey, attended Leaside Excessive College like his brother and in addition performs basketball.
“I really can’t consider I will be right here. That I’ve been given the present of my two youngsters and this life,” Julia posted on X (previously Twitter) in April 2023 after Zach earned quite a few Participant of the Yr Awards. “The braveness to really feel all this and the capability to like. I don’t perceive it, and can’t think about how I’m so blessed however once more, I can solely say, Grateful.”
Julia stays in Indiana along with her son through the basketball season
Throughout Zach’s freshman 12 months of school, Julia retired from her job as a mechanical engineer. She graduated in 1990 and labored for 30 years within the nuclear sector in Toronto, additionally spending just a few years as a nuclear idea instructor.
“That was all the time sort of our deal. She had stated, principally, if I get a D1 scholarship then financially, she might retire,” Zach advised The Canadian Press. “That sort of was an enormous cause why I wished to get a kind of scholarships. It is clearly been nice.”
Julia added, “It meant lots to him getting that scholarship understanding that he might assist give me these choices and it meant lots to me. I used to be considering, I am not lacking a second of this.” She now travels to Indiana for a part of the basketball season, the place she stays in Airbnbs.
The doting mother’s presence at Purdue video games has made her a favourite of Boilermakers followers too.
“The place I’m staying at proper now, the neighbors stated, and it was very candy and it got here from the center, ‘I’ve been a Purdue fan for 20 years, and I’ve by no means seen a guardian embraced like this,’ ” Julia advised GoldandBlack.com. “It’s straightforward, although. The neighborhood is nice. The children on the crew have been nice for years. Zach permits me to be a part of it.”
They’re very supportive of their son
Julia is an enthusiastic Boilermakers fan. “You recognize, I’ve a clapping callus. So, [I’m] in all probability a bit on the extraordinary aspect,” Julia advised WISHTV.com in 2023. “…You simply need them to know that they’ve obtained some love within the viewers.”
She has hosted crew dinners at her Airbnb and Zach’s teammate, David Jenkins Jr., even calls her “Mama Edey.” Whereas Julia frequently reveals her love for the Boilermakers on social media, Glen retains a decrease profile and doesn’t seem to have public social media accounts.
Julia’s public reward consists of reposts of Purdue highlights on X and sharing her personal excited sentiments and images — her pinned submit on the social media platform is a photograph of her and Zach beneath the Purdue College arch, which was captioned partly, “Dad and I really like you to the [moon] and again kiddo.”
Although Glen doesn’t spend as a lot time in the US as Julia does, he was noticed courtside when Purdue gained the Massive Ten Championship in opposition to Michigan State College in March 2024.
And Purdue has embraced Zach’s Canadian roots — they performed each the US and Canada’s nationwide anthems earlier than a March 2024 recreation in opposition to the College of Wisconsin, and the crew competed in Toronto in opposition to the College of Alabama in December 2023.
The entire Edey crew got here out for the latter recreation, together with Julia’s 91-year-old father. The mom-of-two posted on X that she was “touched past phrases” that her dad “obtained to see his grandson play dwell.”
Julia makes merch for her son
Zach is well-known as probably the greatest gamers in school basketball, however his mother additionally is aware of concerning the highlight — she’s an area celeb in West Lafayette and is usually noticed on the Jumbotron.
“You’ll simply randomly hear the gang go loopy, and it’s like, ‘Oh, yup, my mother in all probability simply obtained on the display screen,’ ” Zach advised WISHTV.com.
Whereas the additional consideration will be bizarre for each mom and son to understand, Zach is finally pleased to have his mother by his aspect.
“It’s nice to sort of have a pleasant face on the market,” he advised the outlet. “I’m in a unique nation. She’s in a unique nation. Sort of to have that regular presence is a good factor.”
Although there’s loads of Zach gear obtainable, Julia has been making merch for her son since his sophomore 12 months and most of the designs embody Zach’s nickname, “The Massive Maple.”
Earlier than a recreation in early 2023, Julia tossed him a T-shirt that up to date one in every of her older designs. The gang cheered after Zach put the brand new prime on, which learn “He ain’t simply tall, eh?!,” per CBS Sports activities. Then, through the Purdue-Alabama match-up in Toronto, Julia was noticed courtside handing an excited Zach a yellow shirt that learn “Welcome to Zach’s Home” with a maple leaf within the middle.
Julia joined her son on the 2023 ESPY Awards
In 2023, Zach was nominated for finest male school athlete on the ESPY Awards, and he introduced his mother alongside as his date. “We’re right here!!!” Julia wrote on X. “Purple carpet love for Purdue.”
Although the mother-son duo loved their time on the ceremony, there was an ungainly realization on the finish: the award wasn’t being given out dwell through the three-hour affair. The off-camera prize ended up going to USC quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.
Zach took the flip of occasions in stride, jokingly posting on X, “First time I ever been a finalist for an award that doesn’t exist?”
Julia took up beekeeping and volunteering in her retirement
Julia discovered a brand new passion in her retirement: beekeeping. Initially, the mom-of-two was targeted on gardening and he or she even contemplated opening a nursery, based on Leaside Life.
However, the freshly retired engineer saved coming upon the subject of bees, so one Christmas, Glen gifted her with the guide Beekeeping for Dummies. From there, Julia took a beekeeping course and commenced pursuing it as a passion at age 50. She now operates three beehives in Canada, sharing the honey with Zach’s crew and coaches, and has a bee tattoo on her finger, the place she was stung for the primary time.
“[Zach is] very supportive however he doesn’t get too concerned,” Julia advised GoldandBlack.com “I keep in mind him saying [after my beekeeping course], ‘You’re making me need to be a beekeeper.’ He thought it was so cool.”
In Indiana, Julia additionally volunteers with the Meals Finders Meals Financial institution and Natalie’s Second Probability Canine Shelter in an effort to “give again to a neighborhood that is been actually nice to Zach.” For the latter group, she walks canines through the winter, and he or she adopted a pup named Natty, named for the shelter, in 2022.