Ryan Edwards stands out for Gonzaga in BYU loss

I think it is pretty dumb to call it a career night for any freshman player, because every new personal record is a career high. Especially considering a player like Ryan Edwards, who up until last night had played 52 minutes. Now he has played 60 minutes, but the eight minutes we saw him play against BYU were one of the better highlights of the game.

Here is the scenario for those that didn't watch: Sam Dower commits about as lazy and weak of a personal foul as you can to give him two with five minutes left in the second half. Enter Ryan Edwards. Edwards, a one man wrecking machine with a face you want to buy girl scout cookies from, immediately establishes his monstrous presence against BYU by swatting out a shot from Frank Bartley.

His accumulated stats during the final five minutes of the second half: five points and five rebounds. Gonzaga was trailing, 34-26, when Edwards entered the game and went to halftime tied at 39-39 (and would've been up 39-36 if not for another wonky Tyler Haws shot).

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Karnowski and Dower would stay out of foul trouble for the most part in the second half, and Edwards would only see approximately two minutes. But coming away from the game, the seldom used freshmen was one of the best players on the court. He played with fire, he wasn't intimidated by the hostile environment, and when he fouled -- he fouled hard (not like Dower's pathetic attempt).

If you look at the plus minus/stats from the game, only one player on both teams had a bigger impact on the floor -- Matt Carlino.

I know that eight minutes is a small sample size. In Edwards 52 minutes this year, it isn't like he has been a revelation. But with the team losing Sam Dower next season, even with Kyle Wiltjer entering the fold, it isn't like Gonzaga has the best depth up front. I still would've preferred to see Edwards redshirt this year, but the lack of depth up front didn't give Few too many options. If Edwards can work on his conditioning and be able to be in the game for long stretches at a time, I see a place for him in this Gonzaga rotation in the future.