Radford Basketball: In-depth look at Highlanders forward Ed Polite Jr.
By Bryan Mauro
Why You Should Know Polite Jr.
The senior forward can fill a stat sheet and does so while still playing top-notch defense. Rebounds are a very important part of basketball and Polite is arguably the best rebounder in the conference. He was the first player in Radford history to haul in 500 rebounds by his sophomore year, only to add to the total last year. Polite enters the season only needing 195 total rebounds to have 1,000 for his career. That would be an impressive feat and would help further his legacy at his current school.
Not only is Polite a great rebounder he is a very capable scorer as well. His career average of just over 11 points per game, may not jump off the page right away, but upon further investigation, the efficiency of Polite is what makes him a great scorer. Getting the ball in the post is this skilled forward bread and butter, the forward shoots almost 50% from inside the three-point line. Coach Mike Jones along with star point guard Jones love Polite as their safety net and will both gladly take the easy two points that Polite provides virtually every time he touches the floor.
Opponents may want to try to utilize the strategy of fouling the big man. He is a career 65% free throw shooter. Polite has improved significantly at the line every year and will likely continue improving this year. If he can improve at the line again this year Polite will be a no doubt first team All-Conference player. His career trajectory shows that he will improve in almost every category this year, which means the senior could be in for a huge season.