ATLANTA – The general consensus among basketball recruiting enthusiasts countrywide when it comes to Holy Spirit (Atlanta) shooting guard Anthony Edwards is that he’s in a select group of elite players that you can count on one hand that can make a legitimate case at being the No. 1 overall player in the country, regardless of class.
Naturally, that kind of appointment has college basketball’s heaviest of hitters – Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Arizona and Michigan State – all drooling at the thought of landing the 6-foot-5 scoring machine.
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That said, don’t get Edwards wrong, it’s not that college suitors should abandon all hope if they weren’t a day one believer, it’s just that Edwards is fully aware if you were.
“I appreciate the people that were interested in me before I had all this hype,” said Edwards, who checks in at No. 3 overall in USA Today Sports’ Chosen 25 for 2020. “I feel like I’ve been playing like this for a while; definitely since my freshman year.”
Still, there’s a part of him that understands that his 6-2 frame as a freshman scorer wasn’t as appealing and he’ll concede that this summer, which saw him take home MVP honors for the Under Armour Association and obliterate countless showcase camps like Pangos All American, NBPA Top 100 and SC30 Select Camp, was his defining moment thus far.
“I’ve had coaches come to me and admit that they were a little late,” said Edwards, who stands 6-5. “That’s cool for them say that. I’m not saying if you were there from the beginning I’m going to your school, it’s just that it means a lot to me if you were that’s all. I don’t need a whole lot.”
Edwards is far from being the star that craves attention from college coaches and media.
In fact, he’s only been hearing directly from college coaches since June 15, per NCAA rules, and already he’s “tired of it.”
“When all the schools were hitting me early I had to tell them not to hit me all the time,” Edwards said. “We don’t have all that much to talk about so there’s no need for all of that. It’s better now, but it was just too much.”
Makes sense for a guy who doesn’t even deal in excess in the 24/7 distraction and information overload that is social media.
Edwards doesn’t even have a Twitter account because, well…
“I already have an Instagram,” Edwards said matter-of-factly. “I don’t need both. That’s just too much. With the schools, I just need a coach and a school that understands me and what I need and don’t need. That’s what will stand out to me.”
Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY
