Edmond Memorial's Pedulla `playing chess' in AAU ball

EDMOND—Driving down the lane to his right, Sean P ed ulla rose and tossed up a floater from the elbow.

As his feet landed, his eyes remained focused on the ball as it fell through the net, sending both sides of McGuinness' gymnasium into a frenzy. The bucket gave Edmond Memorial a two-point lead against Midwest City and ended up being the winning score in the McGuinness Classic's championship matchup in January.

Pedulla, a senior guard for the Bulldogs, is used to coming up clutch in big moments and accustomed to scoring from anywhere on the court. It's why his 31-point outburst during an AAU game last week against some of the top prospects in the country was no surprise to his high school coach, Shane Cow herd, and many others who see him play in Oklahoma on a weekly basis.

“One of the things that just pops off the page with him is his competitive drive ,” Cowherd said. “He's a kid who expects to win and expects to be able to make plays for himself and for others.”

Pedulla's outburst last

week made him a national commodity on the recruiting circuit, and he proved he's not only one of the top guards in the state, but the country.

Since his out burst, Pedulla, who Rivals rates as a three-star prospect, has received scholarship offers from Minnesota, Samford, St. Louis, Tulsa and Virginia Tech. Only a couple days before, he received an offer from Louisiana Tech.

And t he offers won't stop there, Cowherd said. He has spent hours on his phone in the past week talking to college coaches, and he says Pedulla's stock is continuing to rise.

During his junior season, the 6-foot-1 guard scored 17.2 points per game and was named to The Oklahoman's 2020 Super 5 third team and Big All-City second team. He helped guide the Bulldogs to the Class 6A state tournament.

And there's plenty of reason to expect an even bigger senior year.

“He made a huge jump last year in his maturity and how he plays on the floor ,” Cowherd said. “He has a very, very high motor. Now, he doesn't get sped up. He controls the game instead of allowing moments to control him. He's committed to getting better every day.”

Cowherd said he and Pedulla talk about being a manipulator of the parts, which means controlling the game instead of reacting to what comes next.

Even with the corona virus pandemic shutting down basketball camps across the country, Pedulla made the most of his opportunity on a big stage last week.

He knocked down big shots. Drove to the basket and finished through contact. Locked down his man and communicated on defense.

College coaches have seen the next star prospect to come out of Edmond Memorial. And his recruitment is only going to grow.

“Sean is playing chess and other people are playing checkers ,” Cowherd said. “And that's really where that next level comes. We've had a lot of guys who have been successful in high school and gone on to doing that at the next level. Sean is no different.”

“One of the things that just pops off the page with him is his competitive drive. He's a kid who expects to win and expects to be able to make plays for himself and for others.”

Shane Cowherd on Sean Pedulla