BJ Edwards to enter NCAA Transfer Portal
Tennessee freshman guard BJ Edwards is entering the NCAA Transfer Portal. The departure brings the Vols down to the limit of 13 scholarships for the 2023-24 roster.
In April Tennessee added commitments from USC Upstate guard Jordan Gainey, Harvard forward Chris Ledlum and Northern Colorado wing Dalton Knecht to put the Vols at 14 scholarship players.
Edwards played only sporadically last season, appearing in 14 games. He played a total of 60 minutes, averaging 4.3 per game, totaling 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five turnovers.
“I feel like I could’ve made a difference in some moments,” Edwards said after Tennessee’s season ended in the 62-55 loss to Florida Atlantic in the Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden. “I had the chance, the opportunities, but I let it slip away, I feel like, in some games. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared. I will be soon.”
Edwards was played only two minutes in the postseason — in the win over Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament — despite Tennessee losing starting point guard Zakai Zeigler to a torn ACL in the February 28 win over Arkansas.
BJ Edwards in 14 games this season: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 turnovers
Head coach Rick Barnes reiterated after Zeigler’s season-ending injury on February 28 that Tennessee believed in Edwards and that he could still help the Vols if needed.
But the head coach also emphasized, like Edwards did, the importance of be ready for minutes on game day.
“The first thing that all these guys have to learn to do is how to practice the right way everyday,” Barnes said earlier this month. “What goes into playing at this level, there’s a lot that we ask from our guys. He’s been great at that, he’s been a great teammate and I think he’s learned a great deal.”
Edwards signed with Tennessee out of Knoxville’s Catholic High School, committing to the Vols in July 2021 as a four-star prospect, ranked No. 91 overall in the 2022 recruiting class. He was the No. 12 point guard nationally and the No. 3 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee.
Edwards scored a season-high five points in his Tennessee debut, in a win over Tennessee Tech in the regular-season opener on November 7. He scored four against McNeese State and Missouri and two against Butler and South Carolina.
BJ Edwards is second Tennessee player to enter name in NCAA Transfer Portal
He had three assists against Alcorn State in December and two against South Carolina in February. His last appearance was two minutes against Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament on March 9.
“I feel like I was just, part of the season, I was trying to score too much,” Edwards said. “I realized I (needed to) get the ball down to Uros (Plavsic) and the big guys, Santi (Vescovi), the shooters and stuff like that. My role was to distribute the ball.”
The Vols next season will get freshman guard Freddie Dilione and freshman wing DJ Jefferson off of redshirt season. They added four-star forward JP Estrella, four-star wing Cameron Carr and three-star forward Cade Phillips in their 2023 signing class.
Tennessee senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua entered the portal on March 30, but could still end up playing professionally next season.
