Anthony Edwards (Georgia)
Lately, there’s been a trend of high-profile recruits opting to attend their “home” programs for their one year as a college athlete. The number one (Wiseman) and number two (Anthony Edwards) overall recruits decided to stay close to home. Edwards was quite the recruiting coup for Tom Crean in his second season as the head coach of the University of Georgia. Originally a member of the 2020 class, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard reclassified to 2019 in order to get the NBA quicker.
He was able to make the jump because his game is ready-made for the pros. Houston Rockets guard James Harden has revolutionized the game with his ability to score in just about any way you can think of — and more that he invents himself regardless of their alleged legality. Edwards is arguably the closest thing we’ve seen to what Harden has become. Like the former MVP, the 18-year-old is well put together. Georgia’s official roster lists him at 225 pounds (five more than what Harden is listed at) and he is a bulldozer with the ball. Combining strength and length to be a deadly attacker with the ball in his hands.
Crean is likely to make sure that Edwards hs the ball as often as possible. He’s the definition of a scorer if there’s any slight window for him to take advantage of he’ll find a way to do just that. His dynamic skill set will allow him to be very impactful on his own for the Bulldogs. The SEC has often been a playground for Kentucky’s freshmen but Edwards’ addition to Georgia makes it back-to-back seasons that the top incoming recruit won’t reside in Lexington.
We’ve seen one player have a drastic impact on a university, most recently with Trae Young at Oklahoma, and the hope in Athens is that their prized recruit can turn things around quickly for this program. It isn’t improbable to think that Edwards could get hot at the right time and lead Georgia deep into the tournament.
A lot is riding on how he plays but if he wasn’t willing to face the pressure head-on he wouldn’t have chosen to sign with the Bulldogs. Saving the basketball program is not the only thing at stake, a big season could lead to Edwards being taken at the top of the 2020 NBA Draft.