Edwards builds on big week

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004 | 10:07 a.m.

It was a weekend to remember for UNLV senior center J.K. Edwards ... on the basketball court, anyway.

Off the court it was one the muscular 6-foot-8, 250-pounder would just as soon forget.

"My Panthers," the native of Clemmons, N. C., said shaking his head with a grin. "They let me down in the Super Bowl."

But Edwards, a former junior college All-American, had to plenty to smile about when it came to basketball.

In UNLV's wins against New Mexico and Air Force, Edwards connected on a sizzling 18 of 20 field goal tries (90 percent), scored a combined 40 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked eight shots.

"Anytime the ball is going in the goal, you have the tendency to say a guy is really playing good," UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour said. "But he's doing other stuff, too. He's passing. He runs the floor. And he's doing stuff right out there."

Edwards also managed to stay out of foul trouble, something that has plagued him during much of his career. And the Rebels will need Edwards on the floor and to continue playing at a high level this weekend when they face conference preseason favorite BYU and second-place Utah on the road.

Edwards will face Mountain West Conference scoring leader Rafael Araujo (19.2 ppg, 10.3 rpg) on Saturday afternoon in Provo in a very key matchup. Araujo, a 6-foot-11, 280-pounder who picked the Cougars over UNLV after starring at Arizona Western Junior College, had something of a coming out party last season against the Rebels at the Marriott Center when he scored 22 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and had three steals in BYU's 85-77 win.

Two nights later, Edwards gets to go against the Utah tandem of Tim Frost, a second-team all-MWC pick a year ago, and 6-foot-10 freshman star Andrew Bogut.

"It'll be a battle with the big guys again," Edwards said matter-of-factly.

Araujo is attracting attention from NBA scouts and is considered one of the top center prospects on the West Coast.

"I'm ready for it," Edwards said. "I hope to keep playing well and also stay out of foul trouble. Usually when I play against a lot of big guys I get into foul trouble. Hopefully I can avoid that this time and play the whole game.

"(Araujo) is a tough character. I've got to make it difficult for him to guard me, too. If I can get him into foul trouble it would have the same effect on them as it does on us when I get into foul trouble. It'll be basically going at each other and seeing how it works out."

Spoonhour said the Rebels can't get too caught up in just trying to stop Araujo.

BYU also has some of the conference's top 3-point shooters in senior forward Mark Bigelow, freshman guard Michael Rose and senior point guards Luiz Lemes and Kevin Woodberry.

"Everybody's got to play," Spoonhour said. "I just looked at the tape from last year and we were just weren't efficient enough. They hit some big 3's on us.

"You get so caught up with Araujo in the middle that you can forget about your man and that's what gets you in trouble."