Aaliyah Edwards is another young Canadian star that will be participating in the Unrivaled league. The Kingston, Ontario native dominated as an amateur while attending the Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto. It was here where she garnered attention as one of the top prospects to ever come out of Canada. Edwards’s impressive performances in high school, coupled with her involvement in the Canadian national team pipeline, led her to become a highly recruited player.
She caught the attention of many college powerhouses, but ultimately decided to commit to the University of Connecticut. As a freshman at UConn, Edwards quickly shined by averaging 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while shooting an efficient 68.9% from the field. Edwards earned the Big East Sixth Woman of the Year award, highlighting just how important she was to the Huskies’ success. Her ability to excel as a forward/center with physical play, exceptional footwork, great touch, and relentless energy made her a fan favorite and a valuable asset to the team. Throughout her college career, she continued to develop and became known for her defensive skills, rebounding, and efficient scoring around the rim. By her junior season, Edwards had further elevated her game and was recognized as one of the top players in the Big East Conference by earning a selection to the All-Big East First Team. Additionally, to that honor, she earned the prestigious Big East Most Improved Player award, reflecting her development and increased impact throughout her college career.
Upon declaring for the 2024 WNBA Draft, Edwards was a highly touted prospect due to her incredible skill set for her tremendous size, agility, and defensive tenacity that would make her well-suited for the physicality of the WNBA. The Washington Mystics were the team that would select her with the 6th pick in the 1st round of this year’s draft. At the conclusion of her rookie season, Edwards averaged 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. As the season went on she continued to display her strengths in rebounding, defensive coverage, and scoring in the paint, proving herself a reliable and versatile forward.
Edwards’ play style will be proven valuable in the Unrivaled league because of her physicality and will to impose her presence on both ends of the floor as a big. I love how she excels in the paint by using leverage to seal out defenders which not only helps her score, but to distribute the ball out of the post as well. Her defensive prowess will stand out the most in this league because she’s agile enough to switch and guard multiple positions, which is pivotal in a 3v3 setting because there will be an array of positions that are mixed in due to the decreased number of players on the floor at one time.
