Indian Hills Juan Edwards Commits to UNLV
Juan "J.K." Edwards, a burly 6-8, 255 pound power forward from Indian Hills C.C. in Ottumwa, Ia., has committed to UNLV.
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Edwards is the second junior college post player to give Charlie Spoonhour's Running Rebels' program a verbal commitment this fall, the other being 6-8 James Peters of Butler County C.C. in Kansas.
"Going through his recruitment here with him, J.K. is really big into how he gets along with the people," Boudreau said. "Charlie is a great guy, and I think he hit it off with him and their staff. They did a good job with him. It was not so much as the place that was there, it was the people."
A native of Clemmons, N.C., Edwards had been pursued this summer and fall by Tennessee, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
One other program that expressed a late interest in the Tar Heel State native was North Carolina.
UNC has been involved with some of the top high school post players in the country this year (Brad Buckman, Jason Fraser, Sean May, Keith Butler and Torin Francis), but some early misses have caused the Tar Heel staff to start looking in other directions for talent, including junior colleges.
"North Carolina just came in a little bit late," Boudreau said. "They had contacted us regarding J.K."
Edwards was a key cog in the Warriors' return to the NJCAA Tournament last season, averaging 12.9 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting a robust 66 percent from the field.
A physical low post presence, Edwards is an excellent rebounder on both sides of the ball, and is a true back to the basket big man.
Because of his girth, it is possible that Edwards could play both the power forward and center slots next season at UNLV. Boudreau said that "J.K." measured barefoot recently at 6-7 3/4, but his large frame allows him to play bigger than his height might normally suggest.
Edwards is expected to sign a national letter of intent with UNLV during the early period, which runs from Nov. 14-21.