Dre’Una Edwards returns to Las Vegas as Pac-12’s freshman of year

The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year returned to her hometown of Las Vegas this week with a torn right ACL that ended her season prematurely, crutches and a jovial, persevering demeanor.

“I’m glad to be back (home). I wish I was playing,” said Liberty High graduate Dre’Una Edwards, a freshman forward for Utah. “But I’m here to support my team.”

That, she did.

The Utes played Washington on Thursday night in the first round of the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and Edwards cheered from the bench during their 64-54 loss.

The 6-foot-2-inch power wing averaged 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds and shot 54 percent before injuring her knee while securing a rebound Feb. 22 against those same Huskies.

She was named Freshman of the Year by Pac-12 coaches, the first time the school has received the award since it joined the conference in 2011.

“She’s just a playmaker. That’s the word,” Utes coach Lynne Roberts said. “But I didn’t anticipate for her to have the year she had. I didn’t realize she would be that good, this fast.”

Her high school coach did.

Chad Kapanui coached Edwards for two years at Liberty, where she overwhelmed Las Vegas Valley competition with a rare combination of speed, strength and grace. He watched from afar as she overwhelmed Pac-12 competition, too.

“She has the ability to just grab a rebound and go cross court like a guard on the other side,” Kapanui said. “She could finish the ball real well, and she’s a really strong player. To see a player like that with that kind of size that can actually go coast to coast, it was pretty amazing to me. That’s what makes her special, and she even did it in the Pac-12.”

Edwards struggled early in the season with conditioning, but adapted to the pace of the college game despite battling a torn labrum. She had 20 points and 14 rebounds in a preseason scrimmage against Boise State, then started all 26 games in which she played, thriving in a variety of roles.

Strong enough to play in the post. Skilled enough to play on the perimeter. Selfless enough to do whatever, whenever.

And determined enough to return for next season.

“She has this really cool yin yang balance of humility like, ‘I’ve got to work hard, I’ve got to get better,’ contrasted with some swagger, confidence and persona,” Roberts said. “There was zero feeling sorry for herself (after the injury). There was zero woe is me. She has the it factor. And everywhere she goes, she just kind of adds life.

“The thought of having her for three years, as a coach, she makes my job a lot more fun.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.