A big returns to the W.
Ariel Edwards has spent the last few seasons playing abroad, but will get another shot in the WNBA this season. An All-Big Ten First-Team selection in her final season at Penn State, Edwards signed a training camp contract with the Tulsa Shock in 2014 after graduation, but was waived at the start of the 2014 season.
Life is all about second chances, and she’ll get hers this year with the Connecticut Sun, who announced they have signed her to a training camp contract. The 6’3 forward who hails from Elmont, NY has found a tremendous amount of success overseas as of late.
She currently ranks second in scoring in the Spanish League and finished her 2017-18 season in Israel averaging 17.5 points per game, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists for Maccabi Raanana.
More from Connecticut Sun
- Aces Wild: Las Vegas wins first WNBA Championship over Sun
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, October 1: Why the Sun set on Connecticut’s season
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 28: All-Rookie team announced
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 24: Playoff Stewie time
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 21: COVID scare for Seattle
If Edwards has a solid showing at camp and makes the team, she’ll add another layer of youth to the Sun’s already young roster. Nobody currently on their roster was born before 1989. Jasmine Thomas, who is going into her fifth season with Connecticut, is the oldest player and Brionna Jones is currently the youngest.
Although the Sun have been trending up since the 2014 season, and looked to get over the playoff hump last year, they matched their 2017 record at 21-13 and were eliminated in the second round after a first-round bye for the second straight season.
Given Edwards gets through training camp, she’ll be competing for time at the forward position with players like Jonquel Jones, who was voted the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year. When Connecticut finished 9-1 in its last 10 games to end the 2018 campaign, Jones averaged 18.5 points and 6.6 rebounds with four games of 20 or more points.
Edwards would also have a chance to learn from other Sun greats including WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike and All-Defensive Team selection Jasmine Thomas. She’d be added to a young roster, indeed. But she’ll be joining a team where the sky is the limit and 2019 could very well be playoff breakthrough for a team that’s won quite a bit during the regular season in each of the past two campaigns.
Love our 24/7 women’s basketball coverage? Join our Patreon now and support this work, while getting extra goodies and subscriber-only content for yourself.