HARTFORD, Conn. _ The UConn women's basketball team gained a fifth member of its 2020 recruiting class when Aaliyah Edwards, the No. 26 prospect of her class according to ESPN, verbally committed to UConn on Thursday.
Edwards, a 6-3 wing who's ranked fourth for her position, is a five-star player with experience playing on the Canadian National Team. She attended First Night in Storrs last week, where she spent time with the rest of UConn's 2020 commits.
Edwards announced her decision at her high school and live-streamed it on Instagram live, thanking her wide support system in front of a lineup of jerseys from her previous teams.
"That program has everything that'll fulfill my next career, for the next four years," Edwards said of the school prior to officially announcing it as her choice. "Just the atmosphere, just being there, from the staff and the team, being able to talk to the team, they're just like-minded people. I'm just grateful for their interest in me because I think they can really help me be the person I want to be in the next couple of years, professionally and academically."
Edwards, originally from Kingston, Ontario, is a product of Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto. She is a member of Kia Nurse Elite's U17 team, part of a Nike-backed AAU program started by the former UConn standout that competes in the Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).
Edwards rounds out a recruiting class that includes No. 1 recruit combo-guard Paige Bueckers, wing Mir McLean (No. 21), Croatian point guard Nika Muhl, and recent commit Piath Gabriel, a center. If all five players officially sign to join the program, the group would comprise UConn's largest freshman class since 2010-2011 and leave the Huskies with 11 filled scholarship spots.
A scouting report from ESPN describes Edwards as an "athletic perimeter performer with college-ready frame cleans the glass and attacks in up-tempo; physical off the bounce, drives and finishes plays in traffic; rises on jumper in mid-range game; a power-5 prospect in the class of 2020."
Edwards represented Canada in youth tournaments over the last three years before making 11 appearances for the senior team this year, first on a European exhibition tour before becoming the youngest player named to Canada's team for the FIBA AmeriCup, which earned silver last month in Puerto Rico. In the tournament, Edwards played in all of Canada's games, averaging 6.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 14.6 minutes.
"It's a dream, playing for your country," Edwards said about the experience on Thursday. "A lot of people watching you, a lot of people supporting you. Obviously it's a lot of pressure at times but it's all full of love and support. Being a part of Team Canada is like nothing else."
Before the AmeriCup, she notched 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds on average in the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup this summer.
