Until now,
Kailey Edwards had the luxury of toiling in a relative anonymity as an auxiliary player for the
Legacy (Broomfield, Colo.) girls basketball team.
Legacy's Kailey Edwards.
File photo by Patrick Miller
Two seasons ago, the girl dubbed "Kay Kay" by her teammates established herself as a sophomore sharpshooter, but opposing teams concentrated on the Division I talents of guard Quincey Noonan (now at the University of Denver) and center Carli Moreland (Utah State).
Last season, Edwards clearly was the Lightning's premier guard, but athletic center Sade Akindele received the majority of the attention.
This season, the spotlight belongs to Edwards. And by early indications, the senior is ready to shine.
"I was able to play in front of a lot of great players," Edwards said. "I got to grow up watching Melissa Jones. I got to play with Quincey Noonan and Carli Moreland. Just watching them turn into scorers, that's definitely helped me transition into one, because that's what I'm trying to be this year."
So far, so good. She has a 20.0 scoring average through the Lightning's first six games. Undoubtedly, Legacy's designation as the No. 4 team in Class 5A largely is due to the presence of the 5-foot-9 do-it-all guard, who will join Noonan at DU next season. Many of her future Pioneers teammates were in attendance Tuesday when she dropped a career-best 28 points on defending champion Highlands Ranch.
"A coach's dream," said Legacy second-year head coach Craig Van Patten, who was a longtime Lightning assistant before taking over the reins. "She's invaluable. I've been fortunate to have her on my team."
Stellar all-around performances are commonplace for Edwards, but when considering some of her best, her 22-point effort in the 2009-10 quarterfinals against Fountain-Fort Carson stands out. It was an effort that included five three-pointers and initially put her on the statewide radar.
Saturday served as another example, when Edwards willed the Lightning to a 53-49 against Centaurus in the championship game of the Boulder Valley Invitational. While the stakes might not have been as high, Edwards was magnificent in scoring her team's final six points, finishing with 21 and nine rebounds. Included was a steal and coast-to-coast layup with 22 seconds remaining that effectively served as the clincher.
"It's nice to have someone of Kailey's caliber when the chips are down and you need a play," Van Patten said.
Van Patten has noticed a transition in Edwards' leadership qualities as well. While the Lightning always have had the booming voice of a senior in the past, Edwards understands it's her team now.
"She's demanding things of girls," Van Patten said. "She's walking the walk."
Legacy also boasts the skills of three-point specialists Emily Glen and Jordan Salaz and the inside presence of sisters Courtney and Caitlin Smith, but opposing coaches realize they are seeing something special when Edwards is on the floor.
"She's such a good ball handler and she's so quick," Centaurus coach Jeff Jackson said. "That first step of hers is pretty deadly, and you can't really match up with her one on one. She might not look the part of a rebounder, but she's long and she's vertical and gets up the floor well. She's a complete player."
Edwards attracted attention from many mid-major programs and ultimately decided the Pioneers were the best fit.
"I went through my whole recruiting process, made sure to take all my visits, and I didn't plan on staying close to home," Edwards said. "After going to all the places, the coaching staff, the players and the chance to play in front of my family felt right."
Edwards also took official visits to San Francisco, San Diego and Rice. For now, though, she has a legacy to wrap up at Legacy.
