Pair of Findlay Prep products advance to NCAA Final Four

By Ed Graney

Las Vegas Review-Journal

6 years ago

Texas Tech guard Kyler Edwards drives to the basket around Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke durin ... — Texas Tech guard Kyler Edwards drives to the basket around Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke during the second half of the West Regional final in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament Saturday, March 30, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Auburn’s Horace Spencer (0) warms up during a practice session for the semifinals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 5, 2019, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Texas Tech’s Kyler Edwards answers questions after a practice session for the semifinals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, April 4, 2019, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Texas Tech’s Kyler Edwards (0) tries to shoot around Iowa State’s George Conditt IV during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson)

Auburn forward Horace Spencer plays against Kentucky during the first half of the Midwest Regional final game in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament Sunday, March 31, 2019, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

MINNEAPOLIS — They saw it each day, a reminder of the talent that came before, the proverbial bar set even higher than the baskets they shot at for months on end.

The framed pictures line a wall at Findlay Prep outside the team’s home gymnasium, one after the other, the faces staring back being those who either laid the foundation for national success or carried it forward.

“Those pictures set some high expectations,” Kyler Edwards said. “You just want to be among those who keep it going.”

Edwards, a freshman guard at Texas Tech, and Auburn senior forward Horace Spencer are products of Findlay Prep and they helped to lead their respective teams to their first Final Fours.

Spencer and the Tigers meet Virginia in the first semifinal on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium, while Edwards and the Red Raiders follow against Michigan State.

“Being at Findlay Prep, you wanted to be a guy who went to a high major program,” said Spencer, who played two years at the Henderson-based school. “Guys went to Kansas and Kentucky and are in the NBA right now. And now I’m here in the Final Four.

“Findlay Prep helped me develop patience and grow up and learn how to be more of a people person at a young age. I learned how to be coachable, how to be a man, how important having a great work ethic is.”

He was 6-foot-8 in middle school when his dunks over smaller kids went viral, and now Spencer averages 4.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.7 minutes for Auburn.

The 6-3 Edwards owns first-year averages of 5.3 points and 2.2 rebounds over 17.7 minutes, having chosen the Red Raiders and head coach Chris Beard over the likes of Butler, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech.

“Coach Beard is amazing,” said Edwards, who played one year at Findlay. “He’s a great, great coach. And he definitely gets the most out of you, coaching you hard and making sure you’re doing the right things on and off the court.

“If we weren’t in class (at Findlay Prep), we were in the gym. I’m not even sure I left Henderson that much when I was there. If we did, we went to watch a Bishop Gorman football or basketball game.”

Now, he and Spencer are here, standing at history’s doorstep, carrying on the tradition set forth by a wall of framed pictures.

“I really don’t know how to react,” Spencer said. “It’s definitely a different experience. Pretty hectic. Lots of people. Lots of cameras. Just keep your composure and stay calm. I didn’t even really know we were playing in a football stadium, so that caught me off guard. But when the game gets here, it’s time to focus.”

Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.