Corey Edwards is keeping the team "comfortable"

Sophomore Corey Edwards seems to have soldified himself as the team's starting point guard. Bryon Allen has been playing alongside him at the wing as the team's sixth man and things are starting to look better for the offense. Work still needs to be done but at least some of the players are starting to look more confident in their roles. It all starts with Edwards as this team has needed some stability at the point. There was a play late in the game against William & Mary that really shows what he's capable of as the team's starter:

Sherrod Wright turned a layup into a three-point play for a 68-61 lead with 1:54 left in a game the Patriots won 73-66.

 "It was a great point guard play for him to come down and have the feel and recognition of the situation," Hewitt said. "It's like a quarterback gets to the line of scrimmage and doesn't like the call or the set or what the defense is in. We got up seven and never looked back."

Now that he's getting more reps his confidence is going up and we will hopefully start to see more plays like that. The quarterback analogy is dead-on and it's something that seemed to be missing from Allen's play at the position. Edwards sees the court very well and that is something that will only improve with time. But he's also doing more than just playing well on the court:

Edwards contributes more than assists, points, steals and deflections. He also helps the team with his outgoing personality and wisecracking sense of humor.

 "I keep everybody on the team comfortable," he says. "That's basically my role. Making jokes with the coaches, keeping everybody smiling."

These guys could use some comfort after how the season has gone so far. It would be great if this is the beginning signs of some of Edwards' leadership qualities, a missing element on this year's squad.

[Photo by John Powell]