Lake Forest’s Lorenzo Edwards hopes Division I men’s basketball scouts and coaches are paying close attention.
Though the 6-foot-7 senior remains one of the most talked-about prospects in the state, he still only has two scholarship offers. One is from Tennessee St., and the other is from Loyola in Chicago. If he keeps playing like he did during the Scouts’ 40-35 loss at Lake Zurich on Friday, Dec. 4, it will become difficult for programs to ignore his ever-improving resume.
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Edwards finished with a game-high 20 points and six rebounds while shooting 10-for-15 from the field on a night Lake Zurich was contesting every shot. It didn’t matter. The left-handed big man has developed a gorgeous touch on his jump shots to go along with his dominant inside game.
“Every morning before school and during the summer, me and my dad would go in the gym to work on my shooting,” Edwards said. “I knew I needed to expand my game in different ways. I guess it’s kind of paying off.”
He also had four blocked shots. Each one of them resembled a thunderous volleyball spike moreso than something seen on a basketball court. Edwards clearly takes pride in that defensive aspect of his game, and though he claims he doesn’t know his vertical jump height, he has game-changing, next-level leaping ability.
“I haven’t measured my vertical jump ever, actually,” Edwards said. “I think when I block shots with the kind of force I did several times tonight, it’s more of a message to myself than to the other team. It gets me going. It gets our fans going. It reminds me to keep playing aggressive. It kind of turns on a switch in me.”
Edwards had his minutes limited by coach Phil LaScala at times a year ago as a precaution after he returned from surgery to repair a microfracture in his right knee.
“Lorenzo has become a complete player,” LaScala said. “He can rebound, he can shoot. He can go to the basket. He can score down low. He blocks shots. He can handle the ball for us.”
Senior forward Ryan Kitchel said there’s one other aspect of Edwards’ game that goes underappreciated.
“Most people don’t know what a great teammate and what a great person he is,” Kitchel said. “He’s the best. Everyone loves him. He’s positive. But he’s also very serious, and puts the team first above his own individual goals. His aura is just very positive.
“I’m real confident about his outlook when it comes to more colleges taking a closer look at him. Lorenzo has become more vocal, and his leadership has grown from last year to this year. There’s no doubt in my mind he’ll find the right place for himself, and he’s gonna do great wherever he goes.”
Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher gave Edwards a positive review, too.
“We knew what kind of player Lorenzo was already based on last year and things we’d seen over the summer, but he’s gotten even better,” Pitcher said. “Even when a guy’s got a hand in his face, he seems to be able to calmly bury jump shots now and he’s playing with real purpose. It’s added another dimension teams will have to watch out for and gameplan against.”
Tim Froehlig is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @TFroehlig