Utah women’s basketball player Dre’Una Edwards, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, is in the NCAA transfer portal, her father confirmed Saturday.
Andre Edwards didn't say why his daughter planned to transfer from Utah, after a season when she became a six-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, helping the Utes break the conference record with a total of nine such awards.
Dre’Una Edwards, a 6-foot-2 forward from Las Vegas, averaged 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 26 games, while shooting 54 percent from the field to rank third in the Pac-12. She injured her knee during a Feb. 22 win over Washington and missed the remaining three games of the regular season, plus a first-round loss to Washington in the Pac-12 tournament.
With her team down to seven active players, Ute coach Lynne Roberts chose to halt the team’s season, rather than play in the WNIT. Utah finished 20-10 overall and 9-9 in the Pac-12, tying for sixth place in the program’s highest-ever finish in a conference that landed five teams in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
Edwards was among the team's most consistent players, with her rebounding and inside scoring ability. She became even more vital after senior forward Daneesha Provo was lost for the season with a knee injury in the team's Pac-12 opener. The Utes once stood 18-1 with a No. 14 national ranking, before fading in a tough league.
The departure of Edwards, along with senior guard Erika Bean and All-Pac-12 forward Megan Huff, means Utah will have two returning starters in 2019-20: guard Dru Gylten and forward Kiana Moore, plus top reserves Andrea Torres and Niyah Becker. Utah also will have two transfers who redshirted last season, Julie Brosseau and forward Ola Makurat. Injured forward Maurane Corbin also will be available, and the program is labeling forward Lola Pendande of Spain as an incoming freshman, after admissions issues made her unavailable in 2018-19.
In November, Roberts signed Corner Canyon High School guard Kemery Martin, the Utah Gatorade Player of the Year, and guard Brynna Maxwell, the 3A Player of the Year in Washington.
