New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Edwards-Boston showdown can serve as measuring stick
STORRS — The basketball world is calling it “The Battle of the Aaliyah-Aliyah’s.”
UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards vs South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston.
Likely the next future Husky All-American against last year’s National Player of the year.
Two international power forwards with long colorful braids leading their respective teams through the nation’s top rankings.
For Edwards, UConn women’s basketball’s Sunday matchup against South Carolina (noon, FOX) and Boston will be her next big test to prove she’s reached All-American status and demonstrate the growth she’s made over the last year.
“These opportunities, they come along, and you got to take advantage of it,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Friday afternoon. “... I think Aaliyah is excited about this. I saw her today and she’s got this look on her face like, ‘I’m ready. I’m ready to play. I really want to play.’ “
Edwards has faced South Carolina three previous times as a Husky. As a freshman in February 2021, she came off the bench and recorded eight points, five rebounds two assists, one steal and one block in 35 minutes of UConn’s 63-59 overtime win in Storrs.
Last year as a sophomore, she teamed up with Olivia Nelson-Ododa as the Huskies’ starting post players. In the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game in November, Edwards was held to six points and five rebounds in 22 minutes. Boston led with 22 points and 15 rebounds in 35 minutes.
In the national championship game in April, she struggled and had just eight points with two rebounds.
It was clear the 6-foot-3 Canadian still had room to grow.
When she returned home to Kingston, Ontario this summer, that was the priority. She worked on her mid-range jumper and came into her workouts with set plans. Edwards knew becoming an upperclassman came with an expanded role and she wanted to prove she was ready.
“When she came home we worked out once and she was telling me like, ‘OK, I need to work on this. These are the shots we shoot at school. These are the shots I’m going to shoot in the offense. So let’s take those shots,’ “said Marlo Davis, Edwards’ high school coach at Crestwood Preparatory in Toronto. “Where before, you know, with young players it’s kind of like you lead the workouts, where she was definitely in charge.”
After playing for Team Canada during the 2020 Olympics in the summer of 2021, Edwards again worked out with Team Canada last summer. Being a year older, she learned what maturity looked like both on and off the court. In the fall, she declined the team’s invite to play in October’s World Cup to instead be present in Storrs and focus on the college season.
“We’ve always talked about being selfish about your development and seeing some of those women go from different roles in their professional teams to their roles on Team Canada that kind of helped her to understand that you’ve got to be able to do one thing in one space and do another in another,” Davis said.
“... She just matured. I think she’s really becoming a young woman and now she’s advocating for herself. She’s also comfortable making decisions for herself and finding her identity as a basketball player. So, it’s easier now to navigate between whether it be Team Canada, UConn and her personal development. She’s found a healthy way to balance all three.”
Edwards began the college season playing the best basketball of her career. She scored a doubledouble in the season opener (her first since her freshman year) with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
She was named the MVP of the Phil Knight Legacy tournament during Thanksgiving before being named the MVP of UConn’s game against Florida State after scoring a career-high 26 points. On Dec. 28 at Creighton, she had career-high 20 rebounds and became the first Husky with 20 since Maya Moore in 2010.
Edwards has even found motivation in playing with a face mask this season after breaking her nose during practice in the preseason.
“There was a time where Kobe (Bryant) was in the mask, so we joke about it like channeling that Mamba and she’s having fun with it,” Davis said. “And, you know, most kids would make excuses like, ‘It fogs up. I can’t see. I’m struggling to breathe.’ and so on and so forth. But again, the maturity I think she kind of embraced it and was just like, ‘I’m not gonna let that be any kind of a reason for me to not be the best I can be for my team.’ “
While Bryant wasn’t a power forward, Davis says he sees similarities in how Edwards and the late NBA star prioritize selfdiscipline on the court and the standards they set for themselves.
In high school, without being told to do so, Edwards would come to school at 7 a.m. and work on homework for a couple of hours before going to class. On top of her team’s practices during the day, she had her own home workout plan that she did every night.
“She really just was a pro at a young age,” Davis said. “I think getting and reading the books about Kobe and hearing the stories of just how diligent he was about his work and getting up early and things like that and getting extra work in that that became the norm for her.”
He added: “She has a standard that she set for herself. And odds are it’s probably higher than any standard any coach or anyone has ever set for.”
Edwards has recorded nine double-doubles and 11 20-point games so far this year. She was named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 list and a top-10 candidate for the 2023 Katrina McClain Award, which annually recognizes the nation’s best power forward.
She currently leads the team with 16.8 points per game and 25 blocks. Edwards is also second with 8.9 rebounds per game and 62 total assists.
“I’m confident, individually, just looking to bring my best game, be a solid player for both my coaches and my teammates,” Edwards said Friday.
Edwards has already faced challenges in the post in DePaul’s Aneesah Morrow and Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist but Sunday will be that much harder against the 6-5 Boston.
“She’s a dominant player,” Edwards said. “She’s dominant down low and makes her presence known. So, it’s going to be hard to compete against her. I’ve been battling with her for two years now. So, I know that she’s gonna bring it every game.”
But these are the moments and games Edwards lives for and because of that, she’s ready.
“This is who she’s always been as a basketball player, as a competitor and as an athlete,” Davis said. “And I just think she’s gotten comfortable being at UConn, understanding what her coaches want from her and what her teammates need from her. I think she’s actually just getting started . ... She lives for opportunities like this to show that she’s worked her butt off to be prepared for these moments and to be in the conversation wit, h the Aliyah Boston’s and some of the greats that are currently competing right now.
“... She’s that type of player like she understands the magnitude of the moment and what’s at stake. So the higher the stakes, the higher her focus is and the more intense she plays, and you know, as a coach can’t ask for much more.”