Dunbar shooting guard makes decision
Whenever Cyrus Jones gets a free moment, the Dunbar boys basketball coach looks back fondly on his days as a prep standout for the Poets in the early 1990s.
One of his chief rivals during those days was Lake Clifton guard Kevin Norris. The two battled during the high school season, but joined forces on the Cecil-Kirk AAU squad during the summers.
Their paths crossed again in college, with Jones assuming at a starring role at West Virginia and Norris doing the same at Miami. The two remained close after their playing careers ended and their coaching careers began.
Now, almost 16 years after they battled on the Baltimore city courts, one of Jones’ top players will suit up for Norris in college.
Dunbar senior Derrell Edwards committed to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi -- where Norris serves as an assistant coach -- last week during an in-home visit. Edwards, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound shooting guard joins Kevin Palmer (Parkville) and Terence Jones (Lake Clifton) as Baltimore natives on the Islanders roster.
Norris, who was largely responsible for cultivating the Baltimore-to-Corpus Christi pipeline, was understandably ecstatic about Edwards’ commitment.
“He was shocked,” Edwards said. “The first thing he said was, ‘man, Derrell, I’ve been waiting to hear that. Now you’re part of the family. You’re part of the Islander family.’ And I liked that because I’ve been part of a family -- the Dunbar family. We’re a family-based program, and so [is Texas A&M-Corpus Christi].”
Edwards, who averaged nearly 19 points and five rebounds per game for the Poets as a junior, spent much of his summer focusing on academics. When he did suit up for Nike Baltimore Elite or Crusader Nation on the AAU circuit, Norris would inevitably be in attendance.
“Basically, he’s been the one that was recruiting me all summer,” Edwards said. “He said I’ve been an underrated player throughout my whole high school career, which I agree with. ... I just felt good [committing]. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi just opened up doors for me. It makes me want to work hard and make sure I get to my goals. That’s been my goal all my life -- playing DI basketball.”
The Islanders were the only Div. I program to offer Edwards a scholarship, but Jones believes they would have had company sooner rather than later.
“He’s definitely a competitor,” Jones said. “He’s basically a scorer. He can score from anywhere on the court. He can drive to the basket and he can shoot the ball. That’s one of his best talents. He needs to work on his ball-handling as an off-guard. Eventually he may play some point as well.
“But I definitely do think it’s a steal. They were able to get an advantage over other coaches from being able to see him, which is good. By Coach Norris having that presence and being from Baltimore, he had an advantage [in landing Derrell] as well as taking other talent from this area.”
Last season the Islanders (led by former Miami and Tulane coach Perry Clark) finished 18-15, falling to Stephen F. Austin by three points in the semifinals of the Southland Conference tournament. Palmer was the team’s leading scorer at 18.2 points per game. Palmer’s success gives Edwards high hopes for his future.
“I just look at it as if a guy from Baltimore, such as Kevin Palmer can do it, then I can do it, too,” Edwards said. “It makes me want to work hard. I know Kevin Palmer’s a great player. I played right in the same backyard as him. ... I might have a chance to put up more numbers or the same amount of numbers as him by the time I’m a junior or senior. Coach Perry Clark was telling me he wasn’t going to put too much on my back as a freshman or sophomore. By junior year, he said he’ll look at me at the end of the game and say, ‘Derrell, I need you to win this game or I need you to score this bucket.’”
Palmer will have graduated by the time Edwards arrives on campus next fall. But with Norris on staff and Terence Jones in the backcourt, Edwards will feel right at home.
“[Norris] was just my guy through the whole summer,” Edwards said. “We’re talking here and there, like twice a week, and he’s letting me know how [excited he is] that I’m committed. It’s not like I was the fourth guy they were recruiting. I was the top guy they were recruiting. I’ll be in the backcourt with Terence Jones, [and hopefully we’ll be] starting at the 1 and 2. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Baltimore Sun photo of Derrell Edwards (left) and Cyrus Jones by Kenneth K. Lam / Nov. 25, 2008
