Aaliyah Edwards Explained

Aaliyah Edwards
Number:24
Position:Forward
Height Ft:6
Height In:3
Weight Lb:174
League:WNBA
Team:Washington Mystics
Birth Date:9 July 2002
Birth Place:Kingston, Ontario, Canada
High School:Crestwood Prep
(Toronto, Ontario)
College:UConn (2020–2024)
Draft League:WNBA
Draft Year:2024
Draft Round:1
Draft Pick:6
Draft Team:Washington Mystics
Career Start:2024
Years1:–present
Team1:Washington Mystics
Highlights:
  • Second-team All-AmericanUSBWA (2024)
  • Third-team All-American – AP, USBWA (2023)
  • WBCA Coaches' All-American (2024)
  • 2× First-team All-Big East (2023, 2024)
  • Big East Most Improved Player of the Year (2023)
  • Big East Sixth Woman of the Year (2021)
  • Big East All-Freshman Team (2021)
  • Big East tournament MOP (2023)

Aaliyah Edwards (born July 9, 2002) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at UConn. Edwards played high school basketball at Crestwood Preparatory College, in Toronto, Ontario, where she led her school to three championships and played for Canadian national U16, U17 and senior FIBA Cup teams. Recruited by UConn's Geno Auriemma and the Huskies, Edwards excelled in her junior and senior seasons, both years appearing on NCAA women's All-America teams.

College career

Edwards graduated after playing with the UConn Huskies women's basketball team for four seasons.[1] As a junior, she averaged double-double of 18.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, an improvement from her sophomore season, when she averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The sturdy junior forward became the first UConn player with 20 points and 20 rebounds since Maya Moore in 2010.[2] Edwards was selected first-team All-Big East and second-team All-America as a senior, a season in which UConn narrowly lost against Iowa in the Final Four after playing to a record-breaking 14.4 million ESPN basketball viewers.

National team career

Edwards has won silver at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship as part of the junior team, and then silver with the senior team at the 2019 FIBA Women's AmeriCup.

In July 2021, Edwards was named to Canada's 2020 Olympic team.[3] [4]

Personal life

Aaliyah Edwards was born in Kingston, Ontario, to parents Jacqueline and Stanford Edwards. She wears purple and yellow braids to pay homage to the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. She is of Jamaican descent.[5]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| UConn| 29 || 6 || 21.8 || 68.9 || 0.0 || 63.6 || 5.7 || 0.9 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 10.7

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| UConn| 36 || 26 || 24.9 || 52.1 || 40.0 || 74.0 || 5.1 || 1.4 || 1.1 || 0.5 || 2.1 || 7.9

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23| style="text-align:left;"| UConn| 37 || 37 || 32.7 || 58.9 || 100.0 || 77.3 || 9.0 || 2.4 || 1.2 || 1.1 || 3.0 || 16.6

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24| style="text-align:left;"| UConn| 37 || 37 || 30.3 || 59.3 || 0.0 || 74.7 || 9.2 || 2.1 || 1.7 || 1.0 || 2.5 || 17.6|-| colspan=2; style="text-align:center;"| Career| 139 || 106 || 27.8 || 59.3 || 33.3 || 73.6 || 7.3 || 1.8 || 1.3 || 0.9 || 2.4 || 13.4 |}

Awards and honors

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Ewing. Lori. 17 February 2021. Canada's Aaliyah Edwards shining in freshman season unlike any other at UConn. Canadian Press. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 11 July 2021.
  2. News: Gonzalez . Isabel . Aaliyah Edwards becomes first UConn player with 20 points, 20 rebounds in a game since Maya Moore . 29 December 2022 . CBS Sports.
  3. News: Canada's Tokyo 2020 women's basketball team announced. Basketball Canada. 30 June 2021. 30 June 2021.
  4. News: Awad. Brandi. Team Canada's women's basketball squad ready to shoot for Olympic podium. Canadian Olympic Committee. 29 June 2021. 29 June 2021.
  5. Web site: Player With Jamaican Descent Drafted To WNBA . www.radiojamaicanewsonline.com . 2024-04-16 . 2024-07-29.
  6. Web site: Adamec . Carl . UConn notebook: Sweet repeat for Lopez Sénéchal . 2023-03-07 . Journal Inquirer . en.
  7. Web site: Aaliyah Edwards . 2024-04-01 . WNBA DRAFT . en.