Daniels and McLeod start things off tonight
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BGSU33
- Peregrine
- Posts: 10183
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 2:29 pm
- Location: Boulder, CO
Daniels and McLeod start things off tonight
Best of luck to them both in what is hopefully a great season!
GO BG!!!
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jacojdm
- Peregrine
- Posts: 2275
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2004 12:45 pm
- Location: cleveland
Another NE Ohio MAC player in the NBA
I still can't believe this one, even though it's been known for weeks.
From today's BJ...
Pacers giving Edwards a shot
Ex-Kent State star with Indiana for Cavs' opener
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal staff writer
Six years ago, John Edwards barely got off the bench during his senior year of high school.
Five years ago, he was a raw college freshman paying his own way while getting abused daily on the basketball court.
Five weeks ago, he was an also-ran long shot in town for a cup of coffee.
Tonight, he'll be suiting up for his first-ever NBA game.
Those who've followed his journey from Hudson High School to Kent State know the only thing that ever came easy to Edwards in basketball was his height, all seven feet of it. The rest, including his first big break in the pro ranks, has been the result of hard work.
Certainly, last season's Cavaliers home opener was memorable, because it was the first game for a hometown hero. The scale will be much diminished tonight, when the Cavaliers are hosts to the Indiana Pacers, but equally as rewarding for Edwards, who made the Indiana roster as a training camp free agent and returns home to play his first game.
``It has been a great first step, but that's all it is right now, a first step,'' Edwards said in a phone interview. ``From the first day I just tried to control what I could control, which is coming out every day and playing hard.''
That philosophy has served Edwards well during his career. Discovered during an open gym and simply offered a walk-on by former Kent State coach Gary Waters, Edwards has come a long, long way. He went from walk-on to role player on two NCAA Tournament teams for the Golden Flashes to an All-Mid-American Conference performer by his senior year.
``We asked him and some of his high school teammates to come in and play against our guys in an open gym setting,'' remembered Waters, who is now the head coach at Rutgers.
``Our guys just killed them, of course, but we invited them all back. The only one who came back the next week was big John, and I knew then that this was a kid that wanted to work. We knew we could teach him the skills, but it was his will that impressed me.''
Edwards, who led the Flashes in scoring and rebounding in his senior season, worked out for a number of teams before June's NBA Draft, but wasn't selected. He played on the Sacramento Kings' summer-league team, where he caught the eye of scouts from the Pacers.
Brought to training camp with no promises, Edwards earned the respect of his new teammates and coaching staff with his work ethic. He ended up playing in all eight preseason games, averaging 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds.
Then Pacers' starting center Jeff Foster went down with a hip injury that's expected to keep him out from four to six weeks. In addition, Indiana big men Jermaine O'Neal, Jonathan Bender and first-round pick David Harrison have all missed time with injuries in the preseason. It elevated Edwards to second on the depth chart at center behind Scot Pollard.
He might have cinched the job with a performance against the Bulls in a preseason game last week in which he went 5-of-7 from the floor for 11 points with five rebounds in 20 minutes. He got the news officially on Monday that'd he'd made the opening-day roster.
``The NBA has been a dream of mine for a long time,'' Edwards said. ``But I couldn't have gotten here without all the people at Kent State who helped me and had confidence in me. It helped me have confidence in myself.''
As the Pacers' big men mend, there's a chance Edwards' stay could be short, because he's playing on a non-guaranteed contract. But he's impressed enough people thus far that he'll likely get more chances in the future.
``It is special to me that someone from the group I had at Kent State has finally made it to the NBA,'' Waters said. ``He's got a lot of people rooting for him.''
From today's BJ...
Pacers giving Edwards a shot
Ex-Kent State star with Indiana for Cavs' opener
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal staff writer
Six years ago, John Edwards barely got off the bench during his senior year of high school.
Five years ago, he was a raw college freshman paying his own way while getting abused daily on the basketball court.
Five weeks ago, he was an also-ran long shot in town for a cup of coffee.
Tonight, he'll be suiting up for his first-ever NBA game.
Those who've followed his journey from Hudson High School to Kent State know the only thing that ever came easy to Edwards in basketball was his height, all seven feet of it. The rest, including his first big break in the pro ranks, has been the result of hard work.
Certainly, last season's Cavaliers home opener was memorable, because it was the first game for a hometown hero. The scale will be much diminished tonight, when the Cavaliers are hosts to the Indiana Pacers, but equally as rewarding for Edwards, who made the Indiana roster as a training camp free agent and returns home to play his first game.
``It has been a great first step, but that's all it is right now, a first step,'' Edwards said in a phone interview. ``From the first day I just tried to control what I could control, which is coming out every day and playing hard.''
That philosophy has served Edwards well during his career. Discovered during an open gym and simply offered a walk-on by former Kent State coach Gary Waters, Edwards has come a long, long way. He went from walk-on to role player on two NCAA Tournament teams for the Golden Flashes to an All-Mid-American Conference performer by his senior year.
``We asked him and some of his high school teammates to come in and play against our guys in an open gym setting,'' remembered Waters, who is now the head coach at Rutgers.
``Our guys just killed them, of course, but we invited them all back. The only one who came back the next week was big John, and I knew then that this was a kid that wanted to work. We knew we could teach him the skills, but it was his will that impressed me.''
Edwards, who led the Flashes in scoring and rebounding in his senior season, worked out for a number of teams before June's NBA Draft, but wasn't selected. He played on the Sacramento Kings' summer-league team, where he caught the eye of scouts from the Pacers.
Brought to training camp with no promises, Edwards earned the respect of his new teammates and coaching staff with his work ethic. He ended up playing in all eight preseason games, averaging 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds.
Then Pacers' starting center Jeff Foster went down with a hip injury that's expected to keep him out from four to six weeks. In addition, Indiana big men Jermaine O'Neal, Jonathan Bender and first-round pick David Harrison have all missed time with injuries in the preseason. It elevated Edwards to second on the depth chart at center behind Scot Pollard.
He might have cinched the job with a performance against the Bulls in a preseason game last week in which he went 5-of-7 from the floor for 11 points with five rebounds in 20 minutes. He got the news officially on Monday that'd he'd made the opening-day roster.
``The NBA has been a dream of mine for a long time,'' Edwards said. ``But I couldn't have gotten here without all the people at Kent State who helped me and had confidence in me. It helped me have confidence in myself.''
As the Pacers' big men mend, there's a chance Edwards' stay could be short, because he's playing on a non-guaranteed contract. But he's impressed enough people thus far that he'll likely get more chances in the future.
``It is special to me that someone from the group I had at Kent State has finally made it to the NBA,'' Waters said. ``He's got a lot of people rooting for him.''