Introducing 2014 Prospect Vincent Edwards

One of the more versatile players in the 2014 class is Vincent Edwards.  He plays small forward for Middleton, Ohio and has been starting to pick-up some serious attention from bigger programs and Michigan during the summer.  Michigan still has no commitments for the 2014 class and Edwards has the potential to change that in the future, if things go right for the Wolverines.

The first thing to note when analyzing Edwards is his impressive shooting ability.  He's an extremely difficult player to defend because he can shoot from just about anywhere on the court.  TripleDoubleProspects even staets that "you cannot leave him open within 25 feet".  This is true not only because of his shooting ability, but because he also has a great ability to attack the basket at a moment's notice.  Along with this, he has solid speed and is great in transition.  He's just one of those players that has the type of "feel" it takes to make it work in transition.  His defense is solid and I even saw a few plays where he single-handedly stopped a sure-fire scoring drive because of his great defensive play.  He is 6'7", which goes a long way towards helping his rebounding, but that's not the only reason he's good at rebounding.  If you watch him play, he fights desperately for every rebound, which makes a big difference.  One interesting thing to note is the fact that he can easily play multiple positions on the court.  TripleDouble thinks he can play point guard.  I'm not sure if he would be solid at the college level at the position, despite some good passing skills, especially in transition, but I could definitely see him moving around the wing.



Here are the basic stats on Edwards:

	ESPN	Rivals	Scout	247Sports	Future150
Height	6’7”	6’6”	6’6”	6’7”	N/A
Weight	200 lbs	200 lbs	185 lbs	198 lbs	N/A
Position	SF	SF	SF	SF	N/A
Rating	NR	4*	3*	NR	N/A
Position Rank	NR	NR	#20	NR	NR
National Rank	NR	#59	#75+	NR	NR

The rankings for Edwards may be spotty, but we can at least try to get a feel for the kind of player that Edwards can be and where he will likely fall in the overall rankings by time his recruitment process is done.  First, his height and size are ranked pretty closely by all four major sites.  Along with this, there doesn't seem to be a debate about his position, even considering his ability to play different roles on the court.  If he ends up playing small forward at Michigan, he could provide some match-up nightmares, especially with his ability to pass and rebound the basketball.  As far as the actual rankings go, Edwards strikes me as a 4* recruit even thought Scout has him as a 3* right now.  I do think that when all is said and done he could be ranked a tad lower than Rivals has him right now, but I just don't think he is a 3* player.

As far as his recruitment is concerned, it's still in the "picking up" phase right now.  Some of the notable teams pursuing him right now are Purdue, Butler, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Dayton, Michigan, and even some talk of Indiana.  One interesting thing to note is that Purdue has currently offered him a scholarship, as a football player.  As I discussed in the post regarding former Michigan target Drake Harris, this would mean that he would "walk-on" to the basketball team, if he decided to do both sports.  A tremendous advantage if Purdue can get him to commit to both sports.  They would essentially be getting a free basketball scholarship.

When asked about Michigan, he has only had positive things to say, which is a good sign.  His recruitment is definitely wide open at this point and the Wolverines will look to capitalize on a fall visit Edwards will be making to Ann Arbor.  Of course, Michigan has yet to offer him a scholarship at this point, which has to put some question marks on Michigan's chances, but I do think Michigan is right in the mix with this one when all is said and done.

Here's his highlight film: