Anthony Edwards leaving UGA for NBA. Here were 5 top moments in Athens
What has been forecast for months is finally official: Anthony Edwards’ Georgia career is over.
The freshman phenom on Friday told 247Sports his intention to forego his final three seasons in Athens and enter the 2020 NBA Draft. His agency, Octagon Basketball, later confirmed Edwards’ decision. The news comes just eight days after the Bulldogs completed their season.
“He’s one of the most improved from the beginning of June to end of season players I’ve been around in all my years of coaching, as a head coach or an assistant,” Georgia coach Tom Crean said. “He grew leaps and bounds in so many areas. Sometimes it showed up statistically, sometimes it didn’t, but at the end of the day knowing that we’re dealing with a very young man that should have been a senior in high school.”
Most NBA mock drafts have Edwards among the top picks, with projections of him going No. 1 according to the Bleacher Report and The Sporting News.
“It’s crucial that he get into a program at the next level that can really get him to continue to develop while he’s playing, that’s relationship-based,” Crean said. “People will be very, very happy with what will come as time goes on. I’ve loved coaching him, there’s no doubt about it.”
While Edwards had his ups and downs throughout the year, he lived up to much of the hype that surrounded his arrival at Georgia. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after averaging 19.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game in the regular season. He and Rayshaun Hammonds were the only Bulldogs to start every game, and Edwards scored at least 25 points in seven contests.
Despite a 16-16 record, Edwards leaves behind plenty of highlights in red and black. Here’s a look back at some of his best moments:
Lighting it up in Maui
After easing into college basketball with four games, Edwards announced his presence to the nation with a show-stopping performance at the Maui Invitational.
He started slow, scoring just six points in a 80-61 loss to Dayton. But in the next game against No. 3 Michigan State, he exploded for 37 points, including 33 in the second half. Edwards knocked down seven 3-pointers in that game, connecting from deep time and time again and nearly leading his squad to a comeback win.
Edwards then put a cap on the tournament the next night with a buzzer-beating triple to top Chaminade 80-77. His average of 22.3 points per game in Maui earned him a spot on the All-Tournament team.
Thunderous dunk against Kentucky
Even though it came in a loss, the loudest moment in Stegeman Coliseum this season came as a result of an Edwards play.
The Bulldogs led No. 14 Kentucky 35-28 late in the first half of the SEC opener in Athens. Edwards cut toward the basket, gathered a pass from fellow freshman Sahvir Wheeler and elevated for a rim-rattling dunk. He came down and posed for rapper Quavo and Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, both of whom were sitting courtside.
The slam put Georgia up nine, although a Wildcat three at the buzzer made it 37-31 heading into halftime. As he walked off the court, Edwards flapped his jersey and whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
Kentucky came back in the second half to earn the 78-69 victory, but Edwards’ slam sent electricity coursing through Stegeman Coliseum in a way that has rarely been seen in recent years.
An all-around winning performance
Rebounding has been a point of emphasis for Georgia and head coach Tom Crean all season long. Edwards embraced that more and more as the season wore on, highlighted by one of his most all-around performances in a 63-48 win over Texas A&M.
In addition to 29 points on 10-for-21 shooting, the 6-foot-5 freshman also pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds. He said after the game that he told the Bulldog bigs to take care of the Aggie forwards, and he would swoop in to collect the boards.
This effort gave Edwards his second double-double in a row. More importantly, it snapped a four-game losing streak in conference play for a team that found conference wins hard to come by in 2020.
Gunning against the Gators
Edwards followed up his stellar performance against Texas A&M with his second career 30-point game on the road against Florida.
He came out hot, scoring 18 points in the first 20 minutes of play. He finished the night with 32 points, his third-highest scoring output of the season.
It came in a losing effort, as Florida erased a 22-point deficit to win 81-75. But Edwards did all he could on the road against an NCAA Tournament-caliber team.
Nashville poster
The high-flying Edwards showcased his dunking ability throughout the season, but rarely did he dunk on or over opponents. The most notable exception came on Feb. 22 against Vanderbilt in Nashville.
With Georgia trailing 23-20 in the first half, Edwards drove toward the rim and sprung from the floor. He cocked the ball back in his right hand and hammered it down, soaring over and through Vanderbilt’s Braelee Albert in the process. The freshman then danced with senior Jordan Harris before lining up to shoot his free throw.
That dunk was later overshadowed by Tyree Crump’s buzzer beater in the 80-78 win. But that play, just like these other highlights and moments, showcased the supreme talent and athleticism Edwards brought to the team in what turned out to be his only season at Georgia.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 11:08 AM.