RUSTON ? Louisiana Tech head coach Chris Long announced Thursday the signing of Pensacola Junior College forward Ida Edwards to a national letter of intent.

Edwards becomes the fifth member of this year?s Lady Techster basketball recruiting class, joining high schoolers Shanavia Dowdell and Tiawana Pringle and junior college stars Sierra Nixon and April Williams.

?I?ve watched Ida?s career since she was in eighth grade at Yazoo City,? Long said. ?She scored 28 points against one of my top 5 ranked Vicksburg High School teams as an eighth grader which was pretty doggone good. That got my attention a long time ago that she was a player.

?Ida has a lot of ability, which allows her to play out on the perimeter and down on the block. She is very, very athletic and is a player that can score and rebound.?

The 6-foot-1-inch Edwards played the past two seasons for coach Chanda Rigby, as a freshman at Holmes Junior College in Mississippi and then the past year at Pensacola.

?Ida can change the outcome of a game at any level,? Rigby said. ?And a whole lot of Division I coaches believe this because she was recruited by about 40 schools. She is a difference maker. She plays big inside.

?What makes her really good is that she can step out on the perimeter and hurt people. She led us in three-point field goal percentage although she didn?t shoot a lot because we needed her inside. She can score off the dribble. She is extremely unselfish player, who always looks to pass the ball first and sees the court well.?

During the past season, Edwards earned first team All-Panhandle Conference honors at Pensacola after averaging 16.1 points and 9.0 rebounds a game. The daughter of Carolyn Edwards said signing with Tech was an easy decision.

?I like the coaches,? Edwards said. ?They made me feel like this is the place for me. They really seem to care a lot about you.

?Tech?s fans are unbelievable in their support of this program. I feel like this is where I want to further my career. This program has had so much success, and I want to be a part of it. I feel like I can help. I want to win.?

During her high school days at Yazoo City High in Mississippi, Edwards was a two-time Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen selection and was also named the District 4-4A Player of the Year as a senior.

Edwards, who played five years on the Yazoo City High varsity team, averaged 20.2 points and 9.1 rebounds a game as a senior while earning all-district honors as a junior and senior.

?What has been neat about all the kids we?ve signed in the late period is that they are all players that we recruited when they were in high school,? Long said.


Ida Edwards
6-1, Jr., Forward
Yazoo City, Miss. (Pensacola JC/Yazoo City HS)

Junior College: Lettered one year for coach Chanda Rigby at Pensacola Junior College as a sophomore ? Lettered one year for coach Chanda Rigby at Holmes Junior College as a freshman ? Averaged 16.2 points and 9.6 rebounds at Pensacola JC ? Named first team All-Panhandle Conference as a sophomore ? Named to the Panhandle Conference All-Star team ? Named team MVP ? Named first team All-North Mississippi Division as a freshman ? She was named MJC all-state at Holmes ? Averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds ? High School: Lettered five years on the varsity at Yazoo City High School for coaches Archie Carlisle, Barbara Henderson and Josette Barton ? Led the Indians to the Class 4A state semifinals as a senior ? Named to the Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen team as a junior and senior ? Named all-district as a junior and senior ? Named the District 4-4A Player of the Year as a senior ? Averaged 20.2 points and 9.1 rebounds a game as a senior ? Signed with the University of Kentucky out of high school ? Personal: Full name is Ida Mae Edwards ? Daughter of Carolyn Edwards ? Has one brother, Mario Edwards, who is the head boys coach at Yazoo City High School ? Mario played basketball at Mississippi Valley State ? Has one sister, Amber Edwards ? Born Jan. 3, 1985, in Yazoo City ? Age 21.