Justin Edwards leads Imhotep Charter to 2nd straight state championship

Justin Edwards will bring two Pennsylvania state championships to Lexington.

On Friday night, the five-star class of 2023 Kentucky signee led his Imhotep Charter squad to its second consecutive state title victory, taking down Exeter 78-40 in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class 5A boys basketball final. Edwards finished with a game-high 19 points plus seven rebounds for the Panthers (30-3), which took home the program’s ninth state title — all coming since 2009.

The win was never in doubt for Imhotep, which has been one of the nation’s top teams all season long. The Panthers led 43-21 at the halftime break as head coach Andre Noble was able to pull his starters just one minute into the fourth quarter. Kentucky head coach John Calipari was also in attendance to watch the action.

Edwards is considered the No. 2 overall senior by the On3 Consensus, leading the way for Kentucky’s top-ranked recruiting class. Imhotep won its five PIAA tournament games by an average of 35 points with Edwards leading the charge.

Justin Edwards (@Jedwards3_) Career Highlights@KentuckyMBB signee

Philadelphia Public League MVP (2x)

3x Public League Champ, 2x PIAA state champ

20 Pts, 6 Rebs in 2022 5A title vs. New Castle

25 Pts in 2023 Pub League title

19 Pts, 7 Rebs in 2023 5A final vs. @BoysExeter pic.twitter.com/alSrz3QFxs

— Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33) March 25, 2023

There wasn’t much time to celebrate though. Immediately after winning back-to-back state championships on Friday, Edwards hit the road for Houston, TX where he’ll participate in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American events, which begin on Sunday and is capped off with the All-American Game on Tuesday night. Edwards is joined by three of his future Wildcat teammates in Houston, DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw, and Reed Sheppard.

Below is the McDonald’s All-American schedule for the next few days, where KSR has boots on the ground.

• Sunday:
  • McDAAG Girls and Boys Practices: 9:30-11:30 a.m. ET
• Monday:
  • McDAAG Girls and Boys Practices: 10 a.m.-12 p.m. ET
  • Media Day: 1 p.m.-5:30 p.m. ET
  • POWERADE Jam Fest: 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
• Tuesday:
  • McDonald’s All-American Games
    • Girls – 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
    • Boys – 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)