Although he is testing the NBA waters, it’s likely Josiah-Jordan James will return for his senior season, making him a rare five-star to stay for four years. However, Tennessee basketball will then need to find a new five-star wing to replace him in 2023.
Rick Barnes has the Vols in play for a Philadelphia, Pa., kid to fit such a role. The Vols are in the top seven for small forward Justin Edwards out of Imhotep Institute. A five-star across every service except On3, where he is a four-star, Edwards stands between 6’6″ and 6’7″ and weighs in the range of 165 to 190 pounds.
Joining Tennessee basketball on Edwards’ list are the Villanova Wildcats, Kentucky Wildcats, Kansas Jayhawks, Auburn Tigers, Maryland Terrapins and the NBA G League. On3 revealed Edwards options Thursday evening.
2023 five-star Justin Edwards is down to six schools and the G-League, he tells @On3Recruits.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 28, 2022
Story: https://t.co/SODijsBqpQ pic.twitter.com/bvff7PDnMI
According to the On3 interview with Edwards, he referred to Rocky Top as a “family atmosphere” and praised how Barnes has handled his wings in the past. Obviously, James stands out among those wings as a development story.
However, what really stands out with Barnes is the versatility in his ability to develop wings. Sure, James and Robert Hubbs III are wings he has developed, but he has also turned Admiral Schofield and Yves Pons into solid wings when they were built more like fours for college.
Given his size, Edwards is definitely built more like James, but that could still be a huge value to Rocky Top. Playing under Barnes, he would be able to move to the four, as James was able to last year, if the roster situation demanded it.
Currently, Kentucky is a unanimous favorite to land him on the Rivals Future Cast. However, Tennessee basketball is a majority favorite on the Rivals Fan Future Cast and On3, and there are no 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions. As a result, the Vols are in good shape to land him right now.