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NJCAA First Team All-American Jason Edwards Signs With UNT
5/8/2023 3:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DENTON — National Junior College Athletic Association 2023 First Team All-American Jason Edwards signed a National Letter of Intent on Monday to join the UNT men's basketball team coming off its NIT championship.
Edwards, a 6-foot-1 guard, was the nation's second leading scorer last season at Dodge City Community College. He led the Conquistadors to a 25-10 overall record, a league title in the ultra-competitive Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and guided his team to the quarterfinals of the 2023 NJCAA DI National Tournament where he was named to the all-tournament team. All of this in what was just his freshman season.
In addition to his all-American honor, the Atlanta native was named the 2023 KJCCC Player of the Year, as he scored 765 total points, averaging 21.9 per game. He knocked down the seventh-most 3-pointers in the nation with 96 and made a lethal 41 percent of his shots from deep. Furthermore, Edwards attacked the rim with regularity and intensity. He shot over 53 percent from two-point range and made 139 free throws on the year, which was the 22nd most in the nation while nearly shooting 80 percent at the free throw line.
In the 35 games played last season, Edwards scored 20+ points 23 times and scored 30+ points four times. He scored a season-high 38 points on just 23 shots on the road at conference rival Hutchinson in a 104-88 win. He also had a season-high eight assists in the road win. He scored 37 versus league rival Coffeyville in a 111-100 win and had a 31-point performance to lead Dodge City to the upset win over Moberly Area in the Sweet 16 of the national tournament.
In total, the Conqs were 19-4 in games where Edwards scored 20 or more points and just 6-6 in games where he didn't reach the 20-point mark. They were undefeated when he scored 30 or more.
In Dodge City's three national tournament games, Edwards averaged 25.3 points per game and shot 50.8 percent from the field. He averaged four made 3-pointers per national tournament game and shot 54.5 percent from deep in the tournament. He was the only freshman named to the all-tournament team.
Edwards saved his lone double-double on the year for the national tournament as he scored 26 points and had a season-high 10 rebounds versus Meridian in their 20-point first round win.
JucoRecruiting.com listed Edwards in its Fab 50 Freshmen ranking and in its top 100 overall ranking at 71.
Every year the nation's top 50 players are named NJCAA All-Americans. This year, Edwards was one of just eight freshmen who earned the all-American honor and one of just two who were voted first team.
He becomes the ninth NJCAA All-American to join the Mean Green since Hodge's arrival to North Texas in 2017 but he is the first who had been named to a first team honor.
NJCAA All-Americans To Sign With UNT Since 2017
Jason Edwards, First Team, Dodge City (2023)
John Buggs, Honorable Mention, Hill (2022)
Tylor Perry, Second Team, Coffeyville (2021)
Terence Lewis, Honorable Mention, New Mexico JC (2020)
James Reese, Third Team, Odessa (2019)
JJ Murray, Third Team, Eastfield (2018)
Javion Hamlet, Second Team, Motlow St. (2017)
Jorden Duffy, Third Team, San Jacinto Central (2017)
Michael Miller, Honorable Mention, Shawnee (2017)
Edwards joins a UNT men's basketball program coming off its most successful season in its history. The Mean Green won a program-record 31 games last season to go along with tying the program-record for conference wins (16). UNT earned a bid into the 2023 National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Alcorn State, Sam Houston, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and UAB in route to its first NIT championship in program history.
North Texas, which has now won a championship trophy in each of the last four seasons, elevated associated head coach Ross Hodge to head coach on April 2 and will make the move to the American Athletic Conference next season.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 Mean Green men and women's basketball teams are available now at www.meangreentickets.com. Tickets start as low as $99 for men's and $75 for women's basketball. For more information on tickets, contact the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527 or at ticketoffice@unt.edu. Fans can visit the UNT Athletics Ticket Office located at Gate 2 of Apogee Stadium between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Edwards, a 6-foot-1 guard, was the nation's second leading scorer last season at Dodge City Community College. He led the Conquistadors to a 25-10 overall record, a league title in the ultra-competitive Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and guided his team to the quarterfinals of the 2023 NJCAA DI National Tournament where he was named to the all-tournament team. All of this in what was just his freshman season.
In addition to his all-American honor, the Atlanta native was named the 2023 KJCCC Player of the Year, as he scored 765 total points, averaging 21.9 per game. He knocked down the seventh-most 3-pointers in the nation with 96 and made a lethal 41 percent of his shots from deep. Furthermore, Edwards attacked the rim with regularity and intensity. He shot over 53 percent from two-point range and made 139 free throws on the year, which was the 22nd most in the nation while nearly shooting 80 percent at the free throw line.
In the 35 games played last season, Edwards scored 20+ points 23 times and scored 30+ points four times. He scored a season-high 38 points on just 23 shots on the road at conference rival Hutchinson in a 104-88 win. He also had a season-high eight assists in the road win. He scored 37 versus league rival Coffeyville in a 111-100 win and had a 31-point performance to lead Dodge City to the upset win over Moberly Area in the Sweet 16 of the national tournament.
In total, the Conqs were 19-4 in games where Edwards scored 20 or more points and just 6-6 in games where he didn't reach the 20-point mark. They were undefeated when he scored 30 or more.
In Dodge City's three national tournament games, Edwards averaged 25.3 points per game and shot 50.8 percent from the field. He averaged four made 3-pointers per national tournament game and shot 54.5 percent from deep in the tournament. He was the only freshman named to the all-tournament team.
Edwards saved his lone double-double on the year for the national tournament as he scored 26 points and had a season-high 10 rebounds versus Meridian in their 20-point first round win.
JucoRecruiting.com listed Edwards in its Fab 50 Freshmen ranking and in its top 100 overall ranking at 71.
Every year the nation's top 50 players are named NJCAA All-Americans. This year, Edwards was one of just eight freshmen who earned the all-American honor and one of just two who were voted first team.
He becomes the ninth NJCAA All-American to join the Mean Green since Hodge's arrival to North Texas in 2017 but he is the first who had been named to a first team honor.
NJCAA All-Americans To Sign With UNT Since 2017
Jason Edwards, First Team, Dodge City (2023)
John Buggs, Honorable Mention, Hill (2022)
Tylor Perry, Second Team, Coffeyville (2021)
Terence Lewis, Honorable Mention, New Mexico JC (2020)
James Reese, Third Team, Odessa (2019)
JJ Murray, Third Team, Eastfield (2018)
Javion Hamlet, Second Team, Motlow St. (2017)
Jorden Duffy, Third Team, San Jacinto Central (2017)
Michael Miller, Honorable Mention, Shawnee (2017)
Edwards joins a UNT men's basketball program coming off its most successful season in its history. The Mean Green won a program-record 31 games last season to go along with tying the program-record for conference wins (16). UNT earned a bid into the 2023 National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Alcorn State, Sam Houston, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and UAB in route to its first NIT championship in program history.
North Texas, which has now won a championship trophy in each of the last four seasons, elevated associated head coach Ross Hodge to head coach on April 2 and will make the move to the American Athletic Conference next season.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 Mean Green men and women's basketball teams are available now at www.meangreentickets.com. Tickets start as low as $99 for men's and $75 for women's basketball. For more information on tickets, contact the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527 or at ticketoffice@unt.edu. Fans can visit the UNT Athletics Ticket Office located at Gate 2 of Apogee Stadium between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Players Mentioned
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