OHS alum winning basketball titles in leagues at home and abroad
Does your basketball team have championship aspirations? Does it need that little extra boost to get over the hump?
Go see if Cortez Edwards is available.
That’s what the Loimaa Bisons of the Korisliiga, Finland’s top professional league, just did. Edwards, 24, who played at Osceola High School for Coach Nate Alexander from 2012-15, heads to Finland after being part of two championships, both won in pretty spectacular fashion in a little over three months.
On May 16, Edwards was named MVP of the British Basketball League’s championship final. He helped lead the Newcastle Eagles to a 68-66 win over the London Lions by scoring 22 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and adding seven assists and four steals. The Eagles trailed much of the game and were down 54-42 late in the third quarter. That’s when Edwards got hot, scoring six straight points and helping spark a 15-1 run. His alleyoop pass to teammate Evan Maxwell gave the Eagles a 57-55 lead. He also hit four free throws in the final minute to ice the game.
Edwards returned home to Kissimmee, and played in the Ace Pro-Am League, an established summer league in Orlando for players not on any American (NBA or G-League) rosters, to stay in shape. His team, Pedro’s Posse, claimed its third straight ACE title last week by defeating the Polk County All-Stars in a 84-83 thriller. The Posse trailed 34-18 after one quarter, but thanks to contributions from Edwards, who scored six points, the posse clawed back to make it a threepoint game at the half and heading to the fourth quarter, when Edwards helped with some key defensive stops.
He said the key to both championships for him was bringing energy and pressure.
“(In the BBL game) I felt like in the second quarter I did everything well but score baskets. So once the third quarter came, I just started to find my groove,” he said.
He averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Newcastle in 35 games.
“There’s nothing he cannot do. He’s an incredible athlete and does a massive amount for the team,” Eagles Coach Ian McLeod told Sky Sports. “We brought him in to be that second guy. He’s done an incredible job.”
Said Juan Bernal, coach of Pedro’s Posse: “You’ve seen the results, he wins wherever he goes. He’s the ultimate team player, he adds whatever it needs to help that team win.”
Edwards logged a solid four-year career at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he averaged 11 points and shot 46 percent from the floor. He was a three-year starter.
At the end of his senior year at USM he hired an agent, who first tried to find him a NBA Summer League training camp spot. Playing abroad became the next plan, and he landed in the British league. He played for the Worcester Wolves in 2019-20 and averaged 12.7 points and six rebounds and assists each per game, then signed with Newcastle this past season.
Edwards said, despite playing something other than the national game – England makes no bones about being all soccer, all year long – locals embraced the team and players.
“The difference once to get into the pros is that everybody knows their role, and they know how to play it,” he said. “The difference between guys like us and a G-League guys is the route you take, and the opportunity. I could have possibly gotten to the G-League from Southern Miss. But if it doesn’t work out, you have to start again from the beginning another time. The NBA teams have a certain prototype they look for, you know, 6-7 guys.
“The hardest part isn’t playing over there. It’s when you come home and see your friends and family again, and then it’s time to go back. I see it on Facebook and stuff how much everybody here is still supporting me like crazy.”
He’s signed a one-year deal to play in Loimaa, a town of about 15,700 people in southern Finland.
“Me and agent decided it was the right fit,” said Edwards, who also considered a deal to play in the Netherlands. “It’s a good league.”
The season opens Oct. 2, with 22 games through the end of January and playoffs after that.
