Chris Sama ’27

by Chris Sama ’27 on February 12, 2026

The athlete of the week is Jason Edwards ’G26, who made his return against DePaul University on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Friars desperately needed a true point guard to run the offense and struggled without Edwards’ presence. It was unclear whether he would return at all for the rest of the Friars’ season, but fortunately, he is back and playing extremely well. He scored 25 points on efficient shooting, going five for eight from three and eight for13 from the field overall. He also had two assists and four rebounds, which is especially impressive considering his role as a guard.

On the season, Edwards is averaging 17.6 points, three rebounds and 3.2 assists on 43.9 field goal percentage, showing his efficiency. He has an extremely quick release that, despite his size,  allows him to get shots up from anywhere, even with defenders closing him out. He is also extremely quick and drives to the basket well. The Friars need him if they want any chance at winning the Big East Tournament, let alone making it to March Madness, as he is their only true point guard. Before joining the Friars in the Big East, Edwards played at Vanderbilt University, where he averaged 17.0 points, 1.3 assists, and two rebounds. He made the All-SEC Third team and scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games. He has shown significant improvement in his passing game from his time at North Texas University to Providence College, going from a 1.4 assist average to 3.2.

Without Edwards’ impact, PCwas playing noticeably worse; it felt like something was missing. While the Friars have a great back court consisting of talented players like Stefan Vaaks ’29, Jaylin Sellers ’26G, and Jamier Jones ’29, none of them fit the point guard role; they function better as shooting guards or small forwards. It’s clear from the games where he was present that Edwards was recruited by coach Kim English to run the offense and be a leader on the court.