Quick Facts
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Justin Te'jon Edwards (born December 16, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class.
Early life and high school career
Edwards grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Imhotep Institute Charter High School. He helped Imhotep win the Philadelphia City championship as a sophomore. As a junior, Edwards averaged 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and led the Panthers to the PIAA Class 5A state championship. He played in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League following the season. Edwards was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. He was also selected to play for Team USA in the Nike Hoops Summit. As a senior, Edwards averaged 17.9 points and 7.5 rebounds as the Panthers repeated as state champions and was named Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball.
Recruiting
Edwards was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services. He was rated as the #1 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN in January 2023. On July 25, 2022, Edwards committed to playing college basketball for Kentucky after considering offers from Tennessee, Auburn, Kansas, Maryland, and Villanova. He also considered playing professionally in the NBA G League.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Edwards SF | Philadelphia, PA | Imhotep Institute Charter (PA) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jul 25, 2022 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 3 247Sports: 3 ESPN: 3 | ||||||
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College career
Edwards enrolled at the University of Kentucky in June 2023. During the summer before his freshman year he played for the Wildcats in the GLOBL JAM tournament in Canada and averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals over four games as the team went undefeated and won the tournament.
Personal life
Edwards' mother, Ebony Twiggs, played college basketball at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and overseas in Portugal.