At a midday Wednesday practice, sophomore guard Maximus Edwards was in full command of the court.
Standing at 6’5” and 215 pounds, Edwards is a big guard with an even bigger personality. After being named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, GW’s first winner since 2000, Edwards is looking to build upon the strong start to his career while establishing himself as a leader heading into his sophomore season.
Hailing from Stratford, Connecticut, Edwards opted to redshirt his first year at Kansas State after being injured in the preseason. Edwards transferred GW the following offseason to play for Head Coach Chris Caputo and the Revolutionaries while maintaining his first year of eligibility. Edwards tallied 10.5 points per game to go along with 6.5 rebounds per game in his first season with the Revs.
In the offseason, Edwards said he focused on improving his shooting after making the third most 3-pointers on the team last year with 48. He shot 35.3 percent from beyond the arc and 43.4 percent from the field, both of which he said he hopes to raise in his second season with the Revs.
After an indisputably successful first season playing for Caputo, Edwards said he plans to step into a leadership role on the court following the departure of last year’s A-10 Most Improved Player Brendan Adams. With only three returning scholarship players, Edwards said he plans to be more involved with the coaching staff as well as being a positive role model for new players.
“I’m growing,” Edwards said. “I’m getting older, so I got to be a leader. Obviously, I’ll play a bigger role this year with BA [Brendan Adams] gone. I’ll help JB [James Bishop] offensively and just getting the guys all connected on defense. So anything that coaches need me to do, I’m going to just go out there and do it.”
Edwards showed flashes of his potential last season, tying a GW record with 15 defensive boards during an 11-point, 16-rebound double-double against Richmond on Feb. 8.
Edwards pulled down 6.5 rebounds per game last season, the second-highest average on the team, and played 1,078 minutes, the third-most minutes on the team and the fourth-most by any freshman in the country. Edwards looks to prioritize the game and the team and said personal achievements will follow.
“Game, team always come first, I just want us to win, I want us to be a better version of ourselves,” Edwards said. “And just keep stacking daily and better every day, the personal goals will come. And I’m going to be grateful for whatever goals I do achieve this year.”
Fifth-year senior guard James Bishop said Edwards is growing into a larger role by being more vocal on the court than he was last year as the squad prepares for the upcoming season.
“It’s been great just watching him grow,” Bishop said. “From being a freshman to now being a sophomore, you could just see the steps he’s taking to mature and be that leader for us, being more vocal and things like that, so it’s been great to watch as well.”
As well as being named Rookie of the Year, Edwards was also named Rookie of the Week five times and started 27 out of the 32 games he played in.
“From my first year and getting Rookie of the Year, I know I’m very blessed and grateful,” Edwards said. “So that’s definitely a chip on my shoulder. It just shows that obviously, I could do damage in this league.”
