While Lake Forest senior center Evan Boudreaux is often an opponent’s focal point, junior forward Lorenzo Edwards is proving to be a formidable challenge on both sides of the ball.
Teams looking to go inside at the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York often found themselves trying to get around the athletic 6-7 junior.
“He plays a lot of minutes. He’s a good player for us,” Scouts coach Phil LaScala said. “He’s been out a little bit with illness and we’re getting him back there in the rotation and getting him some touches. He’s a big, strong kid and a force to be reckoned with inside.”
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Edwards knows that he has to earn his minutes on a talented, deep squad.
“For me, it’s about coming to practice and practicing hard every day,” he said. “I know what I can bring to my team and I want to contribute any way I can.”
His role on the team will likely increase next season when players like Boudreaux and center Tommy Trkla graduate. Edwards is solid on defense but is working at becoming a two-way player for the Scouts.
“Coach [LaScala] has been telling me to more aggressive taking my shot in practice and during games and building that confidence,” Edwards said. “Been working at it, and I’ll keep working on it.”
He is also developing into a leader, particularly on defense. In Friday’s lopsided 66-32 win over Nazareth, Edwards spent much of the second half directing the second unit with Boudreaux and most of the other starters on the bench. Edwards kept cutting off the lanes to stop any potential easy shots from the Roadrunners. Edwards and the Scouts’ defense held the Roadrunners to only 18 points in the second half.
“We talk about staying aggressive even in these situations,” Boudreaux said. “We don’t want to let up and give up easy points. You can’t always get away with that.”
Edwards agreed.
“We’re always working on staying sharp and staying smart because we don’t want to let our guard down,” he said.