From ‘The W’ to the world, basketball star Aaliyah Edwards is living the dream

There’s nary different measurement to put it: Kingston’s Aaliyah Edwards is surviving nan dream.

At a young age, while playing for nan Kingston Impact, it was clear she would go thing special. She followed that up by winning city, location and provincial championships astatine Frontenac Secondary School and yet landed a danasiwa to play pinch nan UConn Huskies successful nan NCAA southbound of nan border, receiving countless awards and honours during her 4 years successful Storrs, Conn..

Although she ne'er achieved her extremity of winning a nationalist championship, her sights were ever group connected making nan WNBA. This spring, that dream came existent erstwhile she was selected sixth wide by nan Washington Mystics.

She didn’t person overmuch clip to relish nan accomplishment, however. There was little than a period of turnaround betwixt nan draught and nan commencement of nan season.

Now halfway done her first WNBA campaign, Edwards is putting up decent numbers while coming disconnected nan bench, thing she hasn’t done since her freshman twelvemonth astatine UConn. She’s averaging 8.6 points per crippled and conscionable nether six rebounds, putting her sixth successful squad scoring.

“Right now, I’m conscionable making judge that I’m bringing nan aforesaid power that nan first group is bringing and vice versa,” Edwards said connected a Zoom telephone from Washington, DC. “If I’m starting, I’m going to commencement to group nan reside pinch nan first group.”

That mentality has made Edwards 1 of nan apical rookies this play on pinch Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Chicago’s Angel Reese. It’s besides made convention veterans, for illustration Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson, return announcement of nan 22-year-old, moreover offering words of encouragement earlier nan 2 played each different for nan first time.

“Everyone has expectations but to get nan validation from those vets intends everything to me. Those are nan group I was watching connected TV earlier I came to league,” Edwards said.

“To lucifer up against (Wilson), she’s MVP, she’s two-time champ, Olympian, each these accolades that she’s won because she’s conscionable truthful ascendant and to compete against that and to situation myself up against her, it’s much than I tin inquire for,” she added.

The jump from assemblage to nan pros has been comparatively soft for nan Kingston native. She’s a coagulated contributor for nan Mystics and has started a fistful of games. But that’s not to opportunity nan level of title successful nan W didn’t return immoderate adjusting.

“I conscionable knew it was going to beryllium difficult and you’re going to person to play a batch of smart hoops because, pinch maine coming successful arsenic 1 of nan youngest successful nan league, a batch much group person acquisition than me. A batch much group person been successful situations that I haven’t been exposed to arsenic yet,” she said.

Maybe nan biggest accommodation for Edwards this play has been that nan Mystics are a losing team, sitting adjacent nan bottommost of nan WNBA standings aft starting nan play 0-12. They person since turned things astir and person a 6-7 grounds since notching their first triumph of nan play connected June 11.

“The games came by truthful speedy that you had to person a short-term representation and attraction connected nan adjacent opponent, attraction connected nan adjacent goal. But it was tough.”

Edwards has ever been connected winning teams, going backmost to her rep hoops days pinch Kingston Impact, and past pinch Frontenac Secondary School and later Crestwood Preparatory College. Although nan Huskies ne'er won a nationalist championship, pinch Edwards successful their lineup they were a perennial powerhouse.

“I’m conscionable trying to support that mindset of still competing astatine a precocious level and still holding those aforesaid expectations that I’ve had since I was astatine Kingston Impact. But besides giving myself grace and conscionable staying patient, staying ready,” Edwards said.

But pinch a month-long break coming up owed to nan Paris Olympics, Edwards is assured successful nan Mystics and their expertise to make a push for nan WNBA playoffs.

“I consciousness for illustration our team, we’re trending upwards and that’s what we wanted. And I consciousness for illustration erstwhile you travel backmost successful nan Olympic break, we’re going to do moreover amended than what we’re producing correct now.”

A self-described competitor, Edwards’ mindset is to do immoderate it takes to go successful. And though her ambitions are sky-high, she is contented to spot nan process.

“In nan aforesaid sense, for illustration it’s my rookie year, I’m successful a caller squad pinch a caller programme and it’s improbable that we’re going to person a cleanable season.”

But her expectations are different connected nan world stage. Edwards is now successful Spain pinch Team Canada for its Olympics training camp.

Aaliyah is already an Olympian, having played for Canada arsenic an 18-year-old during nan 2020 Tokyo Olympics wherever Canada vanished successful ninth place.

“Our first crippled against France, that’s going to beryllium reliable because it’s nan location squad and we’re playing successful their environment,” Edwards said of nan tournament. “I deliberation arsenic agelong arsenic we instrumentality to what we do good and arsenic agelong arsenic we are fresh for nan situation will beryllium successful, we can’t backmost down.”

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Canada’s different round-robin games are versus Nigeria and Australia, and its roster features 7 players pinch WNBA experience, including Edwards, however, she’s unsure of nan domiciled she’ll play truthful pinch galore veterans successful nan lineup.

“I’m not really judge what to expect, but my competitory drive, my relentless tone and my effort is not going to change,” Edwards said. “So conscionable making judge that I instrumentality to those values that I bring each time connected nan court.”

A challenging portion for immoderate world squad is nan expertise to create chemistry connected nan court. Many of Canada’s players are coming from nan WNBA, and person not been capable to play together since nan past nationalist squad camp.

“We’ve sewage players playing overseas and we’ve sewage players successful nan W who are successful seasons correct now during nan summer, but (other teams) person to spell done nan aforesaid problem,” Edwards said of nan dilemma Canada and different teams are facing.

“So arsenic agelong arsenic we tin beryllium nan first 1 to do that and to get connected and to use everything that we nan coaches are asking america to do, I deliberation that will beryllium fine.”

Regardless of what her portion of nan Canadian roster will be, Edwards is expecting large things from nan Red and White. Canada Basketball’s elder women’s nationalist squad successfully qualified for their 4th consecutive Olympic Games by finishing 3rd successful 1 of 4 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournaments successful February.

“I deliberation we’ve gotten amended and we’re conscionable much assured successful what we’re doing. … I’m excited to rejoin nan group and to spot what magic we tin bring.”

“But, you know, I want to bring backmost immoderate hardware to Canada,” she added.

And hopefully, a medal-winning capacity will thief support nan sports’ maturation moving forward. Edwards says betwixt nan women’s and men’s nationalist teams, which is boasting its astir NBA star-studded roster ever, location is simply a batch to beryllium excited for connected nan hardcourt.

“The athletics is bigger than maine and it’s really about, you know, showing retired for those who fought truthful overmuch and to usage each nan emotion and support that we get from Canada,” she said.

“I’m conscionable ace proud of what our state has become. We’re not only labelling ourselves arsenic a lucky state but besides a hoops state arsenic well. And I deliberation that each experience, each title for illustration this, we’re conscionable evolving.”