Former Middie waits his turn at Miami

Bill Edwards Jr., who left Penn State in hopes of joining Miami, fills time coaching hoops.

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By Skip Weaver, Staff Writer 1:13 AM Saturday, June 26, 2010

MIDDLETOWN — For the last month, Bill Edwards Jr. has been coaching basketball more than playing it.

Edwards, a Middletown High School graduate, played his freshman year for the Penn State Nittany Lions this past season, but left the Big Ten school to transfer to Miami University in Oxford.

Edwards will have to sit out a full season because of NCAA transfer rules, but says he is ready to continue his already strong ties with the RedHawks.

“I had a close relationship with Miami all the way through,” Edwards said Thursday, June 24, referring to Miami’s strong interest in him while he was playing for the Middies. “I can’t go wrong with a decision like this. As long as I get my education and get to play basketball, at the end of the day I’m happy.”

In his one season at Penn State, Edwards, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound forward, played in 26 games with five starts and averaged 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Once he is eligible to step on the court at Miami, he’ll be reunited with former Middie teammate Allen Roberts.

“I want to win, so hopefully I can help Miami win a couple of championships,” Edwards said. “It was fun (at Penn State) and a good learning experience. Going to play in front of thousands of fans every night was great, but I just wanted to be closer to home.

“Now I have the time to work out and see what I need to do to get better,” he added.

The transfer is not official, Edwards said. He said he plans to meet with Miami officials by the end of the month.

Since returning home in mid-May, Edwards has enjoyed coaching his younger brother’s AAU team, as well as the Middies’ varsity summer team.

“I just feel this will be better for me,” he said. “I have the opportunity here to give back to the youth in the area and still do my own thing. That’s a huge bonus to me.”

Edwards completed his four-year high school career ranked seventh on the Middies’ all-time scoring list with 1,129 points.

He was a first-team, all-Ohio player as a senior at Middletown and shared Greater Miami Conference Player of the Year honors with Orlando Williams, a Princeton High School product who just completed his freshman season at Miami.

Bill Edwards Jr.

Coming to MU?

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