Walking Tall: 21st Century Boasts Five Players Taller Than Purdue's 7-4 Edey
Sky-is-the-limit expectations face 7-4 Canadian center Zach Edey of Purdue. It will be a tall order, but Toronto tower Edey's development likely will determine whether or not the Boilermakers win their first NCAA tourney title. Believe it or not, there has previously been a striking number of towering players with higher points of view.
Who have been the tallest players in major-college history? Seven of 11 NCAA Division I players taller than 7-4 have impacted major-college hoops this century and could literally look down upon national Player of Year winners Lew Alcindor (7-2/UCLA), Anthony Davis (7-0/Kentucky), Patrick Ewing (7-0/Georgetown) and Shaquille O'Neal (7-1/Louisiana State) plus two-time All-Americans Artis Gilmore (7-2/Jacksonville) and Hakeem Olajuwon (7-0/Houston). Nearly half of the players 7-4 or taller were layup line sideshows, averaging no more than 3 ppg in their major-college careers. Edey and juco recruit Jamarion Sharp, an emerging impact player at Western Kentucky, are among the following list of skyscrapers:
| Tallest DI Players | Ht. | School(s) | Summary of NCAA Division I Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neil Fingleton | 7-7 1/2 | North Carolina/Holy Cross | Missed both of his field-goal attempts in one game with Carolina in 2001-02 before averaging 2.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.7 bpg and 45.2 FG% for Holy Cross in 2002-03 and 2003-04 |
| Tacko Fall | 7-7 | UCF | 10.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.4 bpg and 74 FG% from 2015-16 through 2018-19 |
| Kenny George | 7-7 | UNC Asheville | 9.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.7 bpg and 71.6 FG% in 2006-07 and 2007-08 before having part of his right foot amputated because of staph infection |
| Shawn Bradley | 7-6 | Brigham Young | 14.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 5.2 bpg and 51.8 FG% in 1990-91 |
| John Hollinden | 7-6 | Oral Roberts | 1.2 ppg and 1.1 rpg in 1976-77 and 1977-78 before transferring to Indiana State-Evansville |
| Mike Lanier | 7-6 | Hardin-Simmons/UCLA | Averaged 5.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.8 bpg and 45.2 FG% for Hardin-Simmons in 1988-89 and 1989-90 before averaging 1.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.1 bpg and 32.4 FG% with UCLA in 1991-92 and 1992-93. |
| Mamadou Ndiaye | 7-6 | UC Irvine | 10.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.5 bpg and 67.6 FG% from 2013-14 through 2015-16 |
| Sim Bhullar | 7-5 | New Mexico State | 10.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.9 bpg and 63.3 FG% in 2012-13 and 2013-14 |
| Chuck Nevitt | 7-5 | North Carolina State | 3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1 bpg and 58 FG% from 1978-79 through 1981-82 |
| Jamarion Sharp | 7-5 | Western Kentucky | juco recruit was averaging 7.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 4.9 bpg by mid-season in 2021-22 |
| Riley Sorn | 7-5 | Washington | 3 ppg and 2.4 rpg in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Alan Bannister | 7-4 | Oklahoma State/Arkansas State | 6.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg and 45.9 FG% with OSU in 1985-86 and 1987-88 before averaging 2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.8 bpg and 45.2 FG% with ASU in 1989-90 |
| Lonnie Boeckman | 7-4 | Oklahoma State | 1.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 35.8 FG% from 1973-74 through 1976-77 |
| Tom Burleson | 7-4 | North Carolina State | 19 ppg, 12.7 rpg and 51.6 FG% from 1971-72 through 1973-74 |
| Mark Eaton | 7-4 | UCLA | 1.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.9 bpg and 44.9 FG% in 1980-81 and 1981-82 |
| Zach Edey | 7-4 | Purdue | Canadian will be instrumental in whether Boilers reach Final Four and capture their first-ever NCAA championship |
| Christ Koumadje | 7-4 | Florida State | 4.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg and 62.2 FG% from 2015-16 through 2018-19 |
| Rolf Mayr | 7-4 | Duquesne | 1.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg and 42.9 FG% in 1987-88 |
| Chase Metheney | 7-4 | Virginia | 2.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 1 bpg from 1995-96 through 1997-98 |
| Ralph Sampson | 7-4 | Virginia | 16.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 3.5 bpg and 56.8 FG% from 1979-80 through 1982-83 |
| Rik Smits | 7-4 | Marist | 18.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.2 bpg and 60.9 FG% from 1984-85 through 1987-88 |
| Steve Turner | 7-4 | Vanderbilt | 8.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 50.2 FG% from 1969-70 through 1972-73 |
| Matt Van Komen | 7-4 | Utah/Saint Mary's | played sparingly for Utes in 2019-20 and Gaels in 2020-21 |
NOTES: George Bell (7-8/Morris Brown GA, UC Riverside and Biola CA), Paul Sturgess (7-7/Florida Tech and Mountain State WV), Manute Bol (7-6/Bridgeport CT) and Priest Lauderdale (7-4/Central State OH) played for non-DI colleges. . . . Homesick Gunther Behnke (7-4/Kentucky) left UK before start of 1984-85 season to return to his native West Germany.