It’s been said that the only constant in life is change. That couldn’t be more true than for Kingston, Ont.’s Aaliyah Edwards. With her rookie season in the books, Edwards says the last year has been a ‘rollercoaster’.
Last fall she began her senior year with the UConn Huskies, which ended in a heartbreaking loss in the Final Four to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes.
Only a few weeks later, Edwards was drafted 6th overall in the WNBA draft and quickly transitioned into a first professional training camp and regular season.
As if that wasn’t enough, the 22-year-old also represented Canada at last summer’s Paris Olympics.
The Washington Mystics forward is now enjoying her first true off-season in five years.
“I’m loving it because I actually just can put a lot of attention, a lot of focus in my game and just fundamentals,” Edwards said.
Edwards finished her rookie season averaging 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Although she did start in a handful of games throughout the summer, the former Frontenac Falcon and Kingston Impact standout found herself coming off the bench most nights and wasn’t one of the team’s first options offensively.
“I knew what the stakes were,” she said.
“I know going into this new league, such an elite league like the W is going to be hard for me to kind of get the respect right away, but I think I earned it throughout the season.”
She says it was to be expected as a rookie, pointing to a similar situation during her freshman year at Connecticut.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“The biggest thing for my mindset was just waiting for my number to be called and just staying ready and anytime my team needed me, I was there for them.
“I did have big games. I also had games where I didn’t contribute as much on the box score, but it was the little things that helped us get the win.”
She says the biggest change was going from playing against 18- to 21-year-olds to playing against grown women.
“The physicality, the pace of the game — you know, bigger, stronger, faster girls than I’m used to competing against.”
In the end, the rookie believes she handled herself well and has a lot to be proud of during her first year in the WNBA. She says the feedback she’s gotten is proof of that.
Another change Edwards felt was moving from a perennial powerhouse in the Huskies to a rebuilding situation with the Mystics. Washington started the season with a 12-game losing streak. That alone is frustrating, but even more so when you factor in that many of those losses were within seven points.
“We were literally right there,” she said. “That was a huge difficult moment for me. Just because I’m coming from UConn, I’m coming from a great program where we hold ourselves to a standard, and that standard is winning.”
Throughout her rookie season, Edwards faced more change as some teammates were traded or released, and at the season’s end, the Mystics parted ways with both their head coach and general manager.
“That hit me hard, she said. “But at the same time, you just have to adapt. I’m in a league now where you can’t really focus on what happened yesterday.”
“You got to focus forward and just … be ready,” she said of the unpredictability of the WNBA.
The next change for Aaliyah Edwards will be walking into a bigger league. The WNBA welcomes its 15th franchise this coming season with the Golden State Valkyries set to join the league in 2025. It will then welcome teams in Toronto and Portland for 2026.
“The growth and viewership are the biggest things we as athletes try to promote and advocate for,” she said, emphasizing her hopes for the league’s continued evolution.
You won’t have to wait long to see Aaliyah back on the court. She’s set to join the off-season 3×3 league ‘Unrivaled’ led by New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart.
Edwards will use her time in Miami, where the league’s games will be held, to hone her skills even more in hopes of a breakout season — and more change — in 2025.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
