Kingston’s Aaliyah Edwards’ speedy development as a basketball player has given the 17-year-old a chance to play for her country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Edwards is a six-foot-three forward and the youngest player on the current senior women’s Team Canada. She just finished playing in the AmeriCup basketball tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico featuring the top 10 teams in North, Central and South America.
Edwards is a grade 12 student Crestwood Preparatory College in North York but hasn’t attended classes yet this school year due to her basketball schedule. Last season she led her team to an undefeated season and the Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario Athletic Association championship. She played for the Frontenac Falcons (FSS) and Kingston Impact before joining Crestwood.
Edwards played in all four round-robin tournament games at the AmeriCup as well as the semi-final game against Brazil, all Canada wins, and was selected Team Canada’s top performer in the 67-46 gold medal game loss to the United States on September 29.
In the U.S. game Edwards scored nine points including a three-point basket in 18:41 of playing time, had three rebounds and four steals.
She’s the first Kingston women’s basketball player on Canada’s senior team since Andrea Blackwell, who was a member from 1979 to 1996. Blackwell competed for Canada in the 1984 and 1996 Olympics and played in four world championships.
She’s the only high school-aged player on the 12-member Team Canada joining teammates who play in the WNBA, NCAA and on European professional club teams.
She has been on the Basketball Canada’s radar for some time playing for the U16 and U17 teams in three international tournaments over the past two summers.
In the six games in Puerto Rico Edwards scored 36 points including two three-point baskets and went 10 for 12 from the free throw line. She also brought down 15 rebounds and had seven steals.
“I had a blast,” Edwards said via email as she prepared to board a flight home on September 30. “My coaches and teammates were amazing. The support received from my former teammates and coaches at FSS, from my coach and teachers at Crestwood and from folks all across the country made a tremendous difference. I love competing for my country and hope to do so again in the next rounds of qualifying.”
The next step of the Olympic qualifying process Canada is hosting a tournament in Edmonton coming up in November.
Edwards has to wait to receive an invitation to that tournament and said she doesn’t want to get ahead of herself thinking of playing in the Olympics.
“Honestly my focus is just being here in this moment but of course an opportunity to represent Canada at the highest level of competition such as the Olympics would be incredible,” she said. “One step at a time though.”
If Team Canada finishes in the top four in Edmonton they’ll qualify for one of the four global FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2020, taking place in February. Canada, with a top-three finish out of the four Americas teams will qualify them for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games.
Currently, Canada is ranked fifth in the world and in the Americas only the United States is ranked higher than Canada.
As well last February, Edwards was invited to participate in the National Basketball Association sponsored Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Charlotte, N.C. She was one of two Canadians and 63 girls and boys her age invited to the camp and selected the most valuable player in the girls division.
Earlier this summer she attended Team Canada’s senior women’s training camp in Edmonton and made the team to travel in June to play in a five game exhibition tour to Belgium and England.
In July she competed with the women’s’ U19 team at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup held in Thailand before having a few weeks to train at home in Kingston before heading back to Edmonton to try out again for the team that went to Puerto Rico.
“Every time I step on the court whether practice or game day is all about expanding my knowledge,” she said. “There is always something to learn and I’m all about that. Student of the game for life.”
Edwards rise in the basketball ranks, as well as other young basketball players in the Limestone City playing high levels of the sport, bodes well as Kingston and Queen’s University will host the 2020 U15 and U17 boys championship as well as the Queen’s Gaels women’s basketball team will host the 2021 U Sports Women’s basketball championship.
“I’ve actually received a lot of love from my past teammates and coaches in Kingston since it was announced that I was selected for the team,” Edwards said. “I’m locked into the task at hand but really appreciate the love coming from my hometown.”
