5-star wing Justin Edwards schedules official visit to Kentucky

Kentucky basketball will host a very important guest in two weeks, as 2023 five-star wing Justin Edwards has scheduled an official visit to Lexington.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Edwards will be at Kentucky the weekend of Nov. 18. UK is set to host Ohio on Friday, Nov. 19.

2023 five-star Justin Edwards will take an official visit to Kentucky on Nov. 18, he tells @On3Recruits.

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) November 2, 2021

The consensus five-star prospect is rated as the No. 9 overall prospect in the class of 2023 by On3. Rivals has him listed at No. 8 overall, followed by 247Sports at No. 11 overall and ESPN at No. 16.

Edwards played with Jalen Duren and Dereck Lively II on Team Final, helping lead the team to a Peach Jam title this past summer. It was a stage that allowed coaches to see his clear development over the course of the last season. After holding just three offers in 2020 (DePaul, Virginia Tech and Seton Hall), he has since added 20 in 2021 alone. Some of his most recent offers include LSU, Ohio State, Syracuse, Auburn, Georgetown, Virginia, UConn, Marquette, Penn State, Tennessee and Oklahoma State, among others.

Edwards’ head coach at Imhotep Charter Institute (PA), Andre Noble, says the five-star wing’s versatility is what separates his game from other top players in the country.

“With his length, he’s really versatile. Can really shoot the ball. What’s the most impressive thing to me about Justin Edwards is how much he’s improved,” Noble recently told KSR. “He didn’t come in as the ninth-grader that was top 20 in the country. That’s not who he was. He wasn’t top 200 in the country.

“He’s just a worker, he works really hard and has really improved his game. I’m really proud of what he’s done.”

As for Kentucky’s pitch, Noble says John Calipari has been clear with his message from the start. It’s one that is resonating well with the 6-foot-7, 165-pound small forward.

“He’s been consistent. It’s not for everyone,” Noble said of Calipari. “But it’s a great opportunity when you look at all the things that happen there under Coach Cal. Justin understands that. He’s loved Kentucky since he was a little kid. The level of interest and Coach Cal coming to his high school, and sitting there and talking to him about ball and life–because that’s a big part of Coach Cal’s pitch is life.

“Not even basketball, it’s life – from a school that (is a) dream school, a school that he’s loved ever since he was a little kid, it’s cool for a kid who’s done things the right way.”

Kentucky has yet to offer the standout wing prospect, but it appears one is on the horizon.

Come on down.