Ryan Edwards to Forego Final Year of Eligibility

Well, the good news is Ryan Edwards won’t be transferring. The bad news is he’s decided to forego his final season of eligibility to enter the workforce. Edwards is scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in broadcasting and last summer worked as an intern for SWX, a Spokane local sports channel.

The 7’1” 300 lb Kalispell, Montana native was expected to redshirt his freshman year when he arrived at Gonzaga for the 13-14 season. An early season back injury to Sam Dower forced him into action that season, despite his missing over a month of action with Mononucleosis and a Tonsillectomy. Zags fans took notice of Edwards in the February, 2014 BYU game at Provo when he played eight minutes in late in the first half going 2 for 3 from the field and securing 5 rebounds.

After redshirting his 2^nd year, Ryan started his redshirt sophomore season as the fourth big on a team centered around the “Big 3” of Karnowski, Sabonis and Wiltjer. When Karnowski went down after the season’s fifth game, Edwards become the first big off the bench. He appeared in 31 games, averaging almost 9 minutes per contest with 2.6 points per game and 2.2 rebounds. Foul problems limited his minutes that season and were a problem all three years he played. He averaged 8.2 fouls per 40 minutes in his Gonzaga career.

Last season, the emergence of freshman Zach Collins and Killian Tillie limited Ryan to only 17 games and his minutes dropped to 2.7 per appearance. Edwards also appeared noticeably heavier than he’d been the previous two seasons.

With his size and skills, Edwards would have drawn several offers if he’d chosen the transfer route. Asked if he considered transferring, a Jim Meehan Spokesman-Review article quotes Edwards as saying, “If I was going to play, I was going to play with these (Gonzaga) guys.”.

Looking back at his four years as a Zag, Ryan played behind not only some of the best bigs in the program’s history, but at the time, the best bigs in the nation. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award winner Przemek Karnowski, NBA lottery pick Domas Sabonis, potential NBA lottery pick Zach Collins and NBA player Kyle Wiltjer. No doubt these players improved their games practicing against a mobile, skilled player who wasn’t shy about dishing out contact.

You done good Ryan Edwards. Best of luck in all your future endeavors and we’ll be looking for you behind the mike.