Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Rebels find early success, but set for Edwards to return

LOS ANGELES --- Welcome back J.K. Edwards.

You've been missed ... but not nearly as much as some might have expected if wins and losses mean anything.

UNLV improved its record to a suprising 5-1 without its powerful 6-foot-8, 250-pound starting center with a 78-61 victory against previously unbeaten Loyola Marymount (5-1) at noisy Albert Gersten Pavilion on Saturday night. And thanks to another brilliant front court performance by 6-foot-7 junior forward Odartey Blankson (25 points, 12 rebounds) as well as 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Louis Amundson (8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals), the Rebels actually finished with a 34-33 rebounding edge over the Lions.

But despite managing to knock off high profile Pac-10 teams like Cal and USC without the muscular Edwards, Rebel players know his six-game suspension for his part in the school's "Phonegate" probe couldn't end soon enough.

Not with Stanford, which scored a 64-58 upset of No. 1 ranked Kansas on Saturday in the John Wooden Classic in Anaheim, next on the agenda on Saturday afternoon in Palo Alto.

Mike Montgomery's Cardinal, perennially one of the nation's most physical teams up front, outrebounded the Rebels, 54-27, last year in an 77-66 victory at the Thomas & Mack Center. Stanford had 21 offensive rebounds in the win.

"J.K. is a big part of our team," junior point guard Jerel Blassingame, who had 11 points, 6 assists and just one turnovers in 39 minutes against the Lions, said. "We get to practice with him. Now we get to have him back on the court with us and he's going to be big for us."

"That's our main piece right there," added junior sharpshooter Romel Beck, who had 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. "J.K. is a hard worker and he's one of the top post players we have right now. We're looking forward to getting him back."

Edwards hasn't been able to travel with the team as part of his NCAA suspension and admits it has been driving him nuts to have to sit and watch from afar.

"It's been so tough," he said. "But our winning has made it better. I just thought I could just sit through it and just check out how the team played but it hurt. It hurt real bad. Now I'm ready to get it back going."

Edwards may be out of sight but he isn't out of mind. After the Rebels upset USC, 92-83, in overtime last Wednesday night in Los Angeles, senior guard Demetrius Hunter said, "This one was for J.K."

Edwards, watching the game back home on TV, left phone messages with a number of his teammates on their cell phones afterward.

"It was heartbreaking not being there," Edwards, who averaged 9.6 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per game last season, said. "I was screaming at the TV set some of the time. I was getting nervous. But once we got it into overtime (on a 15-foot jumper by Blassingame with 3.1 seconds left), I felt confident that we were going to pull it out and we did."

Edwards, who reported to UNLV a little chubby and out of shape after starring at Indian Hills Cummunity College in Ottumwa, Iowa in 2001-02, said he has worked hard in the off-season this time around.

"I can't wait," Edwards said. "I'm so excited to come back. I worked hard this summer as did everybody on this team. I got in way better shape than I was in last year. I'm just ready to go.

"The one thing we've been lacking so far is a post player. I can't wait to get in there and see how good we can be."

Even if it means playing Pac-10 heavyweight Stanford in his first game back.

"That's what I like," Edwards said. "I never run from a challenge. We're looking forward to going up there and playing hard and trying to come out with a victory if we can."

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