Canadian rising star Aaliyah Edwards poised for WNBA draft spotlight
Global News
Kingston's Aaliyah Edwards' whirlwind journey from NCAA to WNBA draft and the possibility of a Toronto team. Her story of growth, home and hoops.
It’s been a whirlwind week for Kingston, Ont.’s Aaliyah Edwards. Last Friday she made her third appearance in the NCAA Women’s Final Four, where her UConn Huskies lost a heart-breaker to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes.
Just a few days later, Edwards and her teammates were back in Storrs, Conn., to take graduation pictures together as some Huskies, including Edwards, won’t be able to partake in the traditional graduation ceremony. Edwards majored in communications and minored in human developmental and family studies.
However, she does have a valid reason for missing graduation: she’ll be in Brooklyn, New York, along with over a dozen top women’s college-aged basketball players at the WNBA draft, meaning the whirlwind will only continue and by graduation day she’ll be in the midst of a WNBA training camp.
On the whirlwind list for Edwards is finding an outfit to wear on national television and connecting with her talent agency. She’s even heard rumours that Monday’s draftees will have their faces scanned for the popular NBA 2K video game franchise. Finally, she’ll meet with potential suitors for the forward who averaged nearly a double-double per game in her senior year.
“It’s been fun throughout the whole thing. Even though it’s been busy this week, it’s been fun,” she said.
The former Frontenac Secondary School student figures to play an important role in the draft. Edwards, by many accounts, should be a top-five pick. Various reputable WNBA mock drafts have the Huskies senior hearing her name called anywhere from fourth to seventh overall.
“I’m just going to live through the process,” Edwards said. “Stay excited, stay hyped and just stay ready for what’s to come.”
“Because it’s going to be super exciting this weekend, but the work really starts after my name is called.”
