Edwards ready for challenge

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Jan. 31, 2003 | 10:05 a.m.

NEXT UP

What: Wyoming at UNLV

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Thomas & Mack Center

TV: Las Vegas ONE, Channels 1 & 39

Radio: KBAD 920-AM

J.K. Edwards knows he has his work cut out for him this weekend.

The muscular 6-foot-8, 250-pound junior center from Clemons, N.C., will be matched up against Wyoming's equally well-chiseled 6-foot-10, 260-pound senior Uche Nsonwu-Amadi on Saturday night when UNLV (12-5, 1-3) hosts the Mountain West Conference-leading Cowboys (15-3, 3-0).

Two nights later, Edwards goes against Colorado State's 7-foot Matt Nelson, who leads the conference and is sixth nationally in field goal percentage, connecting on an amazing 64.3 percent of his shots.

"We're not worried about that yet," UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour said of Monday night's game against Colorado State. "We've got all we need on our plate (Saturday night). We haven't even thought about anybody else."

And for good reason. Wyoming swept UNLV en route to winning the MWC title outright last season and Nsonwu-Amadi, a native of Enugu, Nigeria, who was named the MWC's best NBA prospect by Street & Smith magazine, was a major reason why. He averaged 15 points and eight rebounds in the two victories.

Despite being sidelined for five games earlier this season with a knee injury, Nsonwu-Amadi is having another big year for the Cowboys. He is the only player in the Mountain West averaging a double-double (13.7 points and 10.8 rebounds) and has registered double-doubles in nine of the 13 games in which he has played.

"Uche is just so doggone big," Spoonhour said. "He's a real big kid who knows how to play."

That's where Edwards, recruited to help fill UNLV's gaping hole in the middle last season, comes in.

An explosive athlete who has the physical attributes to also play football, Edwards is coming off a roller-coaster road trip for the Rebels.

In UNLV's 75-71 loss at Air Force last Saturday, Edwards' final line -- two points, one rebound in 12 minutes -- was dreadful. But two nights later in the Rebels' 75-66 win at New Mexico, he played perhaps his best game, scoring 14 points (4-of-4 from the floor, 6-of-6 free throws) while grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds en route to his second double-double of the season.

"I thought he really struggled as our whole team did at Air Force," Spoonhour said. "I thought he came back and did a good job (at New Mexico). I thought he played with a lot of energy which we needed."

"It was probably my best game and our whole team's best game of the year," Edwards said. "We all played together and everybody contributed in their own special way."

Against Wyoming, Edwards will not only be asked to keep the bigger Nsonwu-Amadi off the boards, but also to outrun him on the fastbreak for easy baskets.

Edwards watched tape of Nsonwu-Amadi before Thursday afternoon's practice at the Thomas & Mack Center and came away impressed.

"He's pretty big and pretty strong and he goes hard at it," Edwards said. "It's going to be a war down there and I'm ready for it."