Catholic freshman point guard B.J. Edwards is the 2018-19 5Star Preps Boys’ Basketball Underclassman of the Year. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
B.J. Edwards didn’t ease into high school basketball like most freshmen.
There were no freshman or JV games to play. There was no playing understudy to a senior point guard.
Already a target of mid-major Division I programs before he’d even played a game for Catholic, the 6-foot-1 Edwards received the reins of the varsity team from Game 1.
And by Game 5 — a home game Nov. 29 against then-defending-state-champion Grace Christian (Division II-A) — Catholic coach Mike Hutchens challenged Edwards to be more assertive as a scorer.
Translation: quit acting like a freshman.
For the Fighting Irish to maximize their potential with 6-foot-9 junior Akeem Odusipe and 6-11 freshman Handje Tamba, Edwards needed to score more in addition to his ball-handling and distribution responsibilities.
Message received.
“I don’t think he realized that he could be a great scorer for us,” said Hutchens. “The first few games, obviously, we pushed the ball down inside. And then, we were playing Grace. They hopped on us and got up on us 22 or 23 points — in the first half.
“At halftime, we told B.J., ‘We need you to score.’ Our team was in foul trouble. I told him, ‘For us to have any chance to win this game, you’re going to have to go out and score 22 or 23 points in the second half.’
“And that’s what we did. We came all the way back in the second half and won. From that game on, not only was he a point guard distributing the ball but he was a scorer, too. He ended up being our leading scorer this year.”
That he did. Edwards — this season’s 5Star Preps Boys’ Basketball Underclassman of the Year — averaged 17.8 points per game to go with his 6.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
He helped steer Catholic to a 25-7 mark and an appearance in the Region 2-AAA semifinals — just one win away from reaching the Class AAA state sectionals.
Even Edwards said that Grace Christian game was the moment when the light bulb illuminated, signaling it was time to break out of the shell.
“I wasn’t really nervous,” said Edwards about starting as a freshman, “since I’ve played AAU all my life and against a lot of competition.”
So what makes Edwards special at this point in his career? Hutchens pinpointed a handful of reasons: ball-handling, floor vision, performance against tough competition, 3-point shooting and improved defense.
“He’s just an all-around complete point guard,” said the Catholic coach.
Edwards already has been offered by South Alabama and Texas-Arlington. He is again playing AAU basketball for BMaze this spring and summer, where he hopes to continue improving his explosiveness, shooting and defense. Hutchens also wants him to improve at the foul line.
With so much time left in his high school career, Edwards said the plan is to stay at point guard. But who knows, really? A growth spurt here or there could possibly transform him into a 2-guard.
Nevertheless, his focus now is on improving as the lead guard. And having faced the area’s best upperclassmen guards this past season, like Ques Glover (Bearden) and Joe Anderson (Maryville), that definitely taught him a few lessons that will only help him improve.
“They helped me get better,” said Edwards. “And guarding them, I learned different moves. So I can take stuff from them and put it into my game.”