By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
ALLENDALE—Allegan junior basketball standout Quentin Edwards Jr. knows a thing or two about scoring, as evidenced by his school-record 44-point effort in a game this season.
But there’s more to Edwards’ game than simply putting the ball in the basket, according to Allegan boys basketball coach DeAndre Thrash.
“People see all the points Quentin scores, but what they don’t see is all the work he puts in,” Thrash said. “Yes, he’s a talented scorer. But he’s one of the guys who shows up at 5 a.m. before school to get extra work in and will take 300 shots.
“He also makes the guys around him better and gets after it on the boards. Plus, he has a 3.8 or 3.9 GPA in the classroom, which just shows even more the work ethic he has.”
For his performance this year, Edwards received inclusion on the Michigan Sports Writers All-State team as a Second Team selection.
Given his gaudy statistics this season—which included 24.5 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game and 4 assists per game—Thrash wasn’t overly surprised when he heard about Edwards’ All-State honor.
“When you have the kind of season Quentin did this year, people are going to notice that,” Thrash said. “He’s been a scorer ever since he joined the team as a freshman, and he keeps getting better and better each year.”
That fact that Edwards received All-State recognition also serves as an inspiration to the younger players in the high school, middle school and youth programs in Allegan.
“When the younger players see Quentin being named All-State, that means something to them,” Thrash said. “Allegan hasn’t been known as a hotbed for basketball, but the other kids can look at Quentin and think ‘if he can do it, I can do it.’ It gives them someone to look up to and let’s them know more is possible than they might have thought.”
In addition to his production on the floor, Edwards also continues to improve his game in other ways, according to Thrash.
Namely, Edwards has stepped into the role of a team leader.
“His first two years on varsity, Quentin had other guys around who were viewed as the leaders, including a guy like Luke Ellis during Quentin’s freshman season,” Thrash said. “This year, though, it was Quentin’s turn to step up and be more of a leader. And he did that really well.
“That, to me, has been the most fun part of coaching Quentin. Of course it’s fun to watch him improve his game, but I’ve really enjoyed watching him mature as a leader and a young man.”
And Edwards isn’t done trying to improve, as he’s looking forward to a big senior season.
“I really think the sky’s the limit for Quentin next year,” Thrash said. “I have no doubt he’ll keep working as hard as he ever has. He’s also playing AAU basketball in Grand Rapids, which will only make him better.
“He’s going to be fun to watch.”
