Loyola-Chicago Basketball: Ramblers suffer setback with Sheldon Edwards injury

Transfer Sheldon Edwards has the chance to lead Loyola-Chicago Basketball in scoring this season. Will a current injury change that scenario?

It’s been an offseason filled with changes for Loyola-Chicago Basketball, both on and off the court. The program is entering its first season in the Atlantic 10 Conference, while the majority of the rotation from last year, being replaced by four transfers from the portal. Jeameril Wilson is a double-digit scorer from Lehigh, while Phillip Alston is a former D-II star. And Bryce Golden was a starter at Butler in the Big East.

The fourth is a familiar face in Sheldon Edwards, who played in the MVC with Valparaiso the last two years. After being on the all-freshmen team one year prior, the 6’4 shooting guard averaged 11.4 ppg as a sophomore this past season, mostly coming off the bench. Edwards was capable of having some big outings, including a pair of 23-point outings. He’s a good scorer that can get hot from deep and gives the Ramblers a confident offensive weapon.

Unfortunately, it looks as if Edwards won’t be with the team to start the 2022-23 season. His Twitter account confirms that surgery took place for an injury, with a timetable to return being around late November.

If that’s true, Edwards will likely miss the first few games, including the road matchup at Illinois-Chicago and the Myrtle Invitational against Tulsa, and the winner of Boise State/Charlotte. There’s a road matchup at Harvard as well on November 25th that he may miss too.

The reason why the potential absence of Edwards is important for Loyola-Chicago is that he’s one of the top proven scorers on the roster and in the backcourt. The team does return starting point guard, Braden Norris and senior guard Marquise Kennedy on the perimeter but neither are the types to go off on any given night as Edwards can. And if newcomers such as Alston and Wilson don’t have a big impact, the Ramblers’ offense could be in trouble in the non-conference.

Edwards should return by the start of Atlantic 10 play and be 100% healthy but while he’s gone, it’s an opportunity for others to step in and replace his potential production. But for a roster that will have some growing pains with multiple new pieces, this reported news hurts them in the preseason.