GLENDALE, Arizona. — There is a Japanese word for movies that involve giant monsters: Kaiju. Godzilla, King Kong, Mothra. You know, the kind of city-destroying megabeasts that entire armies struggle to contain. Audiences love cartoonish carnage. And the only thing better than a kaiju is multiple kaiju, preferably fighting each other. “Godzilla x Kong” is the number one movie at the box office right now.
If you like that one, you’ll love the sequel. But this new entry in the genre is not science fiction. These titans are too real. The 2024 Final Four features three bracket-busting kaiju: Purdue’s 7-foot-4, 300-pound Zach Edey, aka “Big Maple”; 7-foot-2, 280-pound Donovan Clingan of Connecticut, also known as “Cling Kong”; and NC State’s 6-foot-9, 300-pound DJ Burns Jr., also known as “Beast Boy.”
“I think everyone probably needs to go out and get a big guy now,” Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said Thursday. “It was a trend that no one would play with their back to the basket, (but) three guys have taken their teams to the Final Four because of the way they play. Those three guys are really good. “If you ask me who’s keeping you up at night right now, it’s Zach Edey.”
That’s because Big Maple and Beast Boy will collide in an epic national semi-final on Saturday night, where the winner’s reward could be a championship showdown with Cling Kong. It’s what legends and summer blockbusters are made of. (Sly Alabama big man Grant Nelson is Jeff Goldblum in “Jurassic Park,” hoping to use his expertise in chaos theory to outwit the monsters.)
Prepare your popcorn. But first, check out the trailers.
Zach “Big Maple” Edey
He made peace with the gawking years ago, even before he started playing basketball.
“I was about 6 to 10 in eighth grade, so that’s probably when I really started getting the stars,” Edey said. “I was banned from trick-or-treating when I was in fourth grade. People got mad at me because I was too big. Well, not forbidden, but it would make my eyes stink. He was about 6 feet tall going from door to door. People were like, ‘What are you doing? You’re too old for this.’”
GO DEEPER
Zach Edey’s tall tales in Toronto: on the ice, the diamond… and ‘What is a Purdue?’
If you want to piss off Purdue coach Matt Painter, suggest Edey just be tall. He doesn’t win the consensus National Player of the Year award two consecutive seasons just because of his size.
“Zach Edey is very smart, very skilled, and I don’t think people give him credit for being the basketball player that he is,” said Alabama assistant Ryan Pannone, whose team lost 92-86 to the Boilermakers in December and would like to have another cracker against Edey in Monday night’s championship game. “People just see a tall person, but he is much more than that.”
He is also strangely strong. Purdue strength coach Jason Kabo said Edey, after considerable work these past two years in the weight room, has deadlifted 550 pounds, in a modified lift that takes into account the extent to which such a giant has to bend down. Speaking of which, Kabo and Edey have worked extensively on improving their speed and mobility, and even how to brake an 18-wheeler like him, because the laws of physics dictate that a massive moving object is difficult to stop. It is also difficult to officiate. Painter understands why opposing coaches, players and fans get so angry at Edey, who leads the nation in points, rebounds, field goals, free throws and free throw attempts.
“His physical presence causes a lot of problems,” Painter said. “That’s why you see a lot of rejection, because there are very few people who have that kind of physical presence. I think that’s the biggest compliment. There was a good guard at Indiana named Yogi Ferrell, and I always used to complain about him carrying the ball. At the end of the day, deep down I didn’t think we could defend him. That’s all it was. I always complained about him. Finally one day I caught myself and said, ‘I need to shut up.’ I’m losing a lot of respect for these officials because he doesn’t do anything different than everyone else, except that he’s better than everyone else.’ “I think Zach understands a lot of that.”
DJ “Beast Boy” burns
Most of the time, the nickname comes from someone else. In Burns’ case, he called himself. That fits with his enormous personality, which an entire country has recently discovered thanks to NC State’s magical run. In the Wolfpack’s nine consecutive postseason victories, Burns played the best basketball of his life and became the star of the show, averaging 16.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists while delivering some of the funniest lines of the tournament.
GO DEEPER
‘He’s like a polar bear and a ballerina’: The incomparable DJ Burns is powering NC State
He’s incredibly self-aware and rubs his considerable belly when asked why he thinks he’s becoming America’s sweetheart. People love a burly hero. And the way he moves at that size is fascinating. The fact that he can squat 500 pounds but also pirouette like a ballerina has even interested NFL scouts.
Nikola Jokic calls DJ Burns Jr. “amazing” and now I’m looking for a way to get NC State’s great friend on the Nuggets roster ASAP. #denver7 pic.twitter.com/wHdiYPs1vs
-Nick Rothschild (@nick_rothschild) March 31, 2024
“I don’t think I’ve ever coached a guy like that in my life,” Keatts said. “Obviously the transfer portal is now open. My coaches say: Okay, we have to find DJ Burns. I don’t think you’ll find DJ Burns anywhere else. Left-handed, great touch, tremendous personality. He doesn’t really catch the ball in the post, but he finishes around the basket. I don’t know if there’s ever been a guy like that before. The guards get very angry with him because they don’t receive assists, because he dribbles six times to get to where he needs to be.”
Burns also talks relentlessly to opposing fans, right in the middle of the biggest games of his career.
“It’s the most unique thing you’ll ever find,” Keatts said. “I’m glad everyone on the national stage has the opportunity to meet DJ Burns.”
Purdue walk-on Sam King will receive a very special introduction. This week it will be DJ Burns. The 6-8, 220-pound sophomore was tasked with imitating Burns on the scout team to help Edey and the Boilermakers prepare for the Dancing Bear.
“Very, very tough simulation. I did the best I could,” King said. “My appreciation for him has increased. I didn’t know him before the tournament. During the tournament, he gained my interest. The first game I saw him play, I was honestly a little surprised that he could do that with his size and move as fast as he could with his size. His spin moves to the baseline are lethal. If you get stuck somewhere, you have two or three other moves you can fall back on. It was interesting to watch film about him and imitate his playing style. It was something fun. Just turning around and manning the position like he does was a cool task. Honestly, being DJ Burns is great.”
Ace for Big Maple vs. Beast Boy?
“Thank God I don’t have to be a part of that,” NC State point guard Michael O’Connell said. “They’re definitely going to do it, moving their bodies, trying to overpower each other.”
It’s an exciting matchup for fans, but also for teammates.
“In a way, I’m still a spectator, just a little closer than other people,” Purdue point guard Braden Smith said. “It’s going to be a really good battle.”
Donovan “Cling Kong” Clingan
Alabama coach Nate Oats could hardly hide his surprise and disapproval of Illinois’ approach to Clingan in the Elite Eight. They kept trying to attack him at the rim, and Clingan kept turning them away. The Illini scored just four points in Clingan’s first 17 minutes of that game and missed all 19 shots they attempted when Clingan was the one playing.
“It’s probably not the best plan of attack,” Oats said. “We played against Edey, we played against (Creighton’s Ryan) Kalkbrenner, we played against Jonas Aidoo at Tennessee. We played against real blockers. We’ve had some success with them. Can you get them off the edge? We can play Grant Nelson in the five-man, if he’s making shots. There are other things you can do. But we’re certainly not going to just throw him the ball and expect to score over him all night.”
GO DEEPER
Illinois no match for ‘Cling Kong’ as UConn returns to Final Four
Nelson, who at 6-foot-10 and 215 pounds is as wispy as his mustache, had the game of his Alabama career against North Carolina and its All-America big man, Armando Bacot, in the Sweet 16. The in-state transfer North Dakota’s went for 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in that one. His guile trumped brute strength, and Alabama will try to do it again Saturday against Clingan.
Alabama’s Grant Nelson (No. 2) fought Zach Edey in December and now has to face Donovan Clingan. (Christopher Katsarov / AP)
“Keeping him out of the paint is one of our goals, finishing off the smaller guys,” Nelson said. “If we play our style of basketball, press in transition and get out in front of those guys, I think we have a better chance of making those open shots at the rim. The way we played, I think that’s going to force him to come out a little bit and make way for us. Watching them play against Illinois, it’s hard to take him down. “They went on a 30-0 run just because they were clogging up the paint and not allowing easy shots.”
Clingan had 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks in the second round against Northwestern. He had 22 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and three steals in just 22 minutes against Illinois. After dealing with foot injuries twice this season, Cling Kong is finally healthy and confident and dominating the way everyone expected when he returned for a second season in search of a second national title.
“He makes me look better than I am,” said UConn strength coach Gavin Roberts, who coincidentally worked for Painter at Purdue before this. “I’ve always been 7 feet tall and his mobility is just amazing. It’s amazing to see him grow and get better and better. He could be seen in spurts last year. Adama Sanogo (the 2023 Final Four MOP) would just bully all the big guys, all the time. But Donovan would really challenge him every day in practice, he would make things harder than he would see in games. “That’s when I knew we really had something special.”
Hurley, who never downplays how good he thinks his team or players are, has adopted the nickname Cling Kong. Of all the megamonsters in this Final Four, his might have the highest ceiling.
“He has the motor and the feel. He really he can pass. We can move him offensively,” Hurley said. “He is devastating in the blocking game because he puts so much pressure on the rim as if he were a roller, changing the gravity of the court that way. Obviously directing the court in transition. The 3-pointers he creates in driving lanes because of his presence are game-changers. And then, on the defensive end is where he is best. He can get up on screen defense, slow a guard’s momentum, but still deal with the roller, which will be critical tomorrow.”
For ticket information, click here.
(Illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic; Photos of DJ Burns Jr., Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey: Andy Lyons, Lance King and Elsa / Getty Images)
