Player Profile: Gavin Edwards

Looking Back: Gavin emerged from the thin pack of power forwards/centers on UConn’s roster and solidified the first big man off the bench. He really was the only big man to come off the bench and became a valuable piece to UConn’s run through the tournament. He was big enough to play out of position and man the center when Thabeet needed to come out of the game and he was athletic enough to play his natural position at power forward. He was a reliable utility player that didn’t get the name recognition that the starters did but was just as valuable to the team.

The Good: He is dependable. You know what you are going to get when he goes on the floor. He will play solid man-to-man and rebound. He has shown the ability to play above the rim, demonstrating it with a massive dunk over Harangody. He hustles well around the basket and plays physical. He isn’t shy about banging in the paint and flaring those elbows for rebounds.

The Bad: He hasn’t shown the ability to score points other then on put backs or alley-oop dunks. He needs to demonstrate that he can play with his back to the basket and have an elbow jumper to create lanes for the guards. With a majority of the offense graduated or in the NBA, Gavin is going to have to make a greater impact on the offense or he will be relegated to the bench again.

Looking Ahead: It will be interesting to see how Gavin adjusts to the extended minutes and influence over the game. If he can become a reliable scorer and he produces into a double-double threat, which he is more then capable of, then he should solidify the starting position over the incoming freshmen. He needs to develop the fifteen foot jumper that Adrien had to be effective.