Louisville Basketball: Cardinals land transfer Terrence Edwards from James Madison

While we still haven’t reached the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament, the Transfer Portal is already in full swing. With things relatively settling down in the coaching carousel, another big decision was made as Terrence Edwards committed to Louisville, joining new coach Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals squad fresh off great success at James Madison.

Edwards is a 6’6 guard from Georgia who has spent the last four seasons at James Madison under head coach Mark Byington. More of a role player as an underclassman, Edwards developed into a major playmaker for the Dukes these last few seasons in James Madison’s first two years in the Sun Belt.

While his shooting numbers took a slight step back, Edwards has continued to develop and improve his game with each passing season. As a junior he was the Sun Belt Sixth Man of the Year, putting up more than 13 points a game in a good year for James Madison. Senior year was even better in a legendary season for the Dukes.

Edwards just averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assist per game while earning Sun Belt Player of the Year honors for his efforts. He was the leading scorer and one of the driving forces in an incredible 32-win season for the Dukes. Not only did James Madison win their first Sun Belt Tournament title, but they also upset 5-seed Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament just a few weeks ago.

It’s been a great ride for Edwards with James Madison, and it included a flurry of 20-point efforts, including a career-high 30-point performance at Georgia State in late February. He added 14 points in that upset over the Badgers and has been a potent part of the equation with the Dukes.

With Byington off to Vanderbilt, it may be a bit surprising to see him not following his coach to the SEC. Instead, Edwards joins a Louisville roster expected to look very different under Kelsey’s leadership next season. We still don’t know what the Cardinals will field but expect Edwards to play an important role in that new-look backcourt.

Kelsey has a mountainous task ahead in making Louisville a contender again, but this is another fantastic piece to build upon. The Cardinals have already added former Charleston players James Scott and Reyne Smith and have now landed the Sun Belt Player of the Year. Expect continued action by Kelsey and his staff in the Portal.