Justin Edwards, top high school forward from Philly, cuts list to KU Jayhawks, 5 others
Justin Edwards, a 6-foot-7, 190-pound junior small forward from Imhotep Institute Charter School in Philadelphia, has narrowed his list of colleges to Kansas and five other schools, On3sports.com reported Thursday.
Edwards — he is ranked No. 8 in the recruiting Class of 2023 by Rivals.com, No. 12 by 247sports.com and No. 13 by ESPN.com — revealed a final six of Kansas, Kentucky, Auburn, Villanova, Maryland and Tennessee. He also indicated G League Ignite was an option. He eliminated UConn, Ohio State, Penn State, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Virginia, Syracuse, and others from his list of schools.
Travis Branham of 247sports.com on Thursday called Edwards “arguably the most complete player in the entire 2023 class.”
Noted Gustav Elvin of the Philadelphia Inquirer: “The wing, who possesses great length, defensive prowess and outside shooting ability, has been rapidly rising up recruiting lists, especially due to his recent performances in the EYBL”
Edwards averaged 18.8 points while playing four games for Team Final AAU at an EYBL tourney in Indianapolis last weekend.
“What you walk away with about Justin Edwards is how smooth he plays. Nothing is ever rushed with him,” On3sports.com analyst Jamie Shaw wrote of Edwards.
“As a 6-foot-7 wing, Edwards has great length and soft touch with deep range. He shoots it well off the catch and coming off movement. You want to see him develop more craft off the bounce, maybe develop some counters or combo moves there. He is a good athlete, but you would like to see him employ that on the court. There is still some more upside with Edwards and his confidence is growing by the game.”
Edwards has made official recruiting visits to Kentucky and Tennessee.
Of KU, Edwards told 247sports.com: “They just won a national championship and I can see myself playing at a school like that. One thing I am big about (is) how many wings they have and how many wings they have coming back and how they will use me in their offense.”
Edwards told the Philadelphia Inquirer he has not set a timeline for making a decision on his future.
“Ninth grade, I felt like I wasn’t good enough to get offers. Now I’m one of the top players in the country, and I have almost every offer you could think of,” he told the Inquirer.
