Big O Breaks Silence..

[Orange Maniac]

She played for Elite Sports Academy - a high-major prep level, meaning she competed on a national schedule against other Division I recruits, participated in showcase events and travel circuits, and consistently faced top-tier competition rather than typical local high school opponents.

I don't see any season stats available, but her West team lost by 20 tonight in the All-American game. Going to need a strong supporting cast of players around her and let her be a force on the inside.

In all fairness to Edwards, it sure didn’t seem that she got very many minutes. I was expecting to see more of her. That was the impression I got.

 

[volbeast33]

She won't be playing 1v1 for the Lady Vols next fall, or competing in slam dunk contests. She'll be playing team basketball against some of the top teams in the country. She's obviously athletic and has a lot of raw talent. The McDonald's games are usually showcases for guard play, so I wouldn't read too much into tonight's performance.

But here's what is worrisome. Edwards is going to need to be developed, her skills sharpened. And I'm not convinced that Coach Caldwell, or her nutty system, are going to facilitate Edwards bcoming the college player she has the potential to be.

There is no evidence that Kim can’t develop players or that it will hinder a players talents. I think it is a bigger worry that can she get players to buy in to her system. Paul Westhead stated that style of play is great when you get complete buy in from your team.

 

[Golfteacher]

The Kim haters aren't gonna like this

This gives CKC an excellent chance to build a team around Big O. She possibly has a generational talent, lets hope she has enough sense to use it for the advantage of the Lady Vol program. If she uses Big O in the right way and brings in some portal talent this could be a win-win for CKC and the Lady Vols. However, CKC needs to make some changes that will make her competitive in the SEC.

 

[VintageFan]

There is no evidence that Kim can’t develop players or that it will hinder a players talents. I think it is a bigger worry that can she get players to buy in to her system. Paul Westhead stated that style of play is great when you get complete buy in from your team.

On the other hand, there is limited evidence that Kim CAN develop players or that her system DOESN'T hinder players' talents. Or, for that matter, that she can get a team of 10 or more talented players to buy in to her crazy system. Only time will tell for certain. Meanwhile all we have is our opinions.

 

[volbeast33]

On the other hand, there is limited evidence that Kim CAN develop players or that her system DOESN'T hinder players' talents. Or, for that matter, that she can get a team of 10 or more talented players to buy in to her crazy system. Only time will tell for certain. Meanwhile all we have is our opinions.

There is plenty of evidence that the majority of our players have been as good as other stops and several times they have been better. Development is a little bit of a misnomer. These players have been training and working on their game since they were 8 years old. The ones that work the hardest outside of the team/coach are the ones that usually show the most growth. Most of the time what fans call development is simply the speed of the college game slowing down for the individual player. There is also plenty of evidence if you are able to play hard while on the court that your minutes will be extended. Examples are Mia getting 35 minutes when she was playing well, Cooper and Zee getting over 30 minutes several times.


The biggest concerns to me is if Kim can get her players to buy in to her system. She did the first year and failed miserably in you two. Can she get enough quality players to want to come here. Her roster construction in year two was horrible. Some of our fans are living in their fears and some seem to be openly cheering for negative things to happen to our program. Go Lady Vols!! JUST WIN,baby

 

[TnVolsX4]

Don't worry. She will have elite coaching once she gets here.

Must be Ferrara.

 

[AllVols3]

There is no evidence that Kim can’t develop players or that it will hinder a players talents. I think it is a bigger worry that can she get players to buy in to her system. Paul Westhead stated that style of play is great when you get complete buy in from your team.

Barker , Cooper, Zee(1st year), Whitehorn all increased their numbers under Kim. So find another cliff to die on.

 

[StorrsCentral]

And yet the recap on ESPN (UConn National TV) station highlighted Oliviyah Edwards in the postgame segment of this very game as a superstar. They literally have shown this kid as the face of HS basketball this entire weekend. You folks find stuff and try to push narratives that don’t even have a single breath of life. Lol I mean I couldn’t do that to myself it’s just me. Is she a finish product? No. Yet after this weekend she is a favorite to win National Freshmen of the Year in college at Tennessee. ESPN, adidas, Ovetime Select, SportsCenter, RareFootage, BallisLife all have been trending with Oliviyah Edwards highlights. You are lost as a fan if this is your assessment, which again on this forum it stays here and is of no consequence to the true nature of what occurred on the big stage.

Who gives a crap, this is high school basketball. You say the same thing year after year regarding LV recruits. She may become a great college player, but she is still in high school, so we will see if she does all the things you say she will do. You sound like some other guy who likes to fantasize and say things are the best ever, or in this case, the face of college basketball. LOL

 

[Orange Maniac]

Barker , Cooper, Zee(1st year), Whitehorn all increased their numbers under Kim. So find another cliff to die on.

Yes, but you have to wonder if it was from development or was it from being more experienced. I don’t know and most on here don’t either. We’re all just guessing.

 

[volbeast33]

Yes, but you have to wonder if it was from development or was it from being more experienced. I don’t know and most on here don’t either. We’re all just guessing.

Experience is what most people call development. Players that truly get better by the work they do away from the coach and the team.

 

[AllVols3]

Yes, but you have to wonder if it was from development or was it from being more experienced. I don’t know and most on here don’t either. We’re all just guessing.

They all three improved . Zee was an after thought before she came to UT. If she woukd have put forth the same effort this year, she'd be drafted in the 1st round.

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

The face of Girls HS Basketball Oliviyah Edwards put on a show trending on ESPN!



Big Oh shut down mcdaag Jam Fest

 

[kamoshika]

Edwards flirted with a double-double, scoring eight points on 3-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-for-6 shooting on free throws. She also had nine rebounds, one block and one steal in 15 minutes.
How Lady Vols signee Oliviyah Edwards did at 2026 McDonald's All-American Game

“Big Oh” spent her sophomore and junior years with Issaquah’s Elite Sports Academy but returned to Lincoln last fall — completing her high school career where it began. “It was like coming home after a long trip,” she told The News Tribune.

Double- and triple-teams became the nightly norm in Tacoma, but the Tennessee commit quickly cemented herself as one of the nation’s premier front-court talents. Edwards took over games like few players can, averaging 30 points, 22 points and five blocks as Lincoln’s interior force. A blossoming midrange jumper made the fight all the more unfair.
Lincoln’s Oliviyah Edwards is TNT’s 2026 All-Area Player of the Year

 

[alexvol]

Interesting thread.From my perspective based on last night's game : she wasn't impressive at all but you can not come to any logical conclusions based on this game; she will not be the "savior" for the program nor Kim ....there will have to be 7or 8 more accomplished players playing Kim's style who buy into her program surrounding her for any success to be realized......

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

Now Maxpreps trying to get in on the action. The face of Girls HS Basketball Big Oh.

 

[1reVOLver]

Who gives a crap, this is high school basketball. You say the same thing year after year regarding LV recruits. She may become a great college player, but she is still in high school, so we will see if she does all the things you say she will do. You sound like some other guy who likes to fantasize and say things are the best ever, or in this case, the face of college basketball. LOL

@StorrsCentral,
That was well stated, but try to be gentle with KLUTZ, our candidate for village ejit. He can't afford a copy editor, much less a good script writer, so he keeps repeating the same old material week after week. The comedic value wore off quite a while ago, but he keeps repeating the same old lines.

If you prod him hard enough he is likely to start counting high school awards, saying things like “greatest ever”, or tossing out insults.

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

@alexvol I will say it helps having your opinion be different because I know as hard as Oliviyah Edwards works she wants critics. However, that was a poorly written opinion. First thing, you said you can’t come to any logical conclusion. Yet managed a sentence later to do that very thing, although it was illogical. Second, show me 1 savior of any WBB program? There is none. Who said Oliviyah Edwards has to be savior? You need to get outside of this forum, and articles that post statistics from an all-star.
Oliviyah Edwards easily was the star of and there’s not a close second from McDAAG week. NBA players, WNBA players, and basketball analysts in general all have said it emphatically that this kid is a future superstar.

 

[chuckiepoo]

@StorrsCentral,
That was well stated, but try to be gentle with KLUTZ, our candidate for village ejit. He can't afford a copy editor, much less a good script writer, so he keeps repeating the same old material week after week. The comedic value wore off quite a while ago, but he keeps repeating the same old lines.

If you prod him hard enough he is likely to start counting high school awards, saying things like “greatest ever”, or tossing out insults.

️️️️️ -

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

Somebody anybody please like these posts by @StorrsCentral @chuckiepoo @1reVOLver so they can stop derailing every single thread with this 4th grade level nitpicking. They need the attention. To follow behind a poster from one thread to the next daily throwing out kiddie insults on an extremely goofy level is a different kind of disturbed. Show me one post where they actually make a coherent and engaging basketball point on a basketball forum? Lets keep this basketball conversation going and highlight the history that was carried on by Oliviyah Edwards. The headlines are through the roof.

 

[volsagain]

️️️️️ -

Yep we'll find out if that baby has cheese on it when we begin SEC play. I don't care how she's blowing up on social media , that just shows she has potential. I said from the beginning Civil and Mia along with Hurst could develop into good players for UT . But the key is being put in possession to do so. Hurst can be a very good spot up 3 point threat . Civil can turn into a very good all around player.

 

[SummittSoul]

I watched the McDonald’s All-American Game closely, and I wanted to share my take on Big O.

First, as other posters have stated, the game is a showcase. Players are out to impress individually, and not necessarily to run a well-rehearsed system. So judging “team play” or passing etc isn’t always fair. The game is notoriously hard for bigs for this reason. Many guards were isolation-heavy, which is expected in this setting. Jerzy Robinson, the SC recruit who started with O, was pressing a bit and hunting her shot which doesn't lead to great inclusion of interior or other players. Edwards, as a versatile big, stood out IMO: she was active on the floor, involved in rebounds, finished a couple at the rim, and even flirted with a double-double. That she also participated in the dunk contest and won the 1v1 skills competition, highlights both her athleticism and her ability to create her own shot. No, she won't be playing 1 on 1 here, but Kim's system puts players in situations where they need to create and players at O's size who can do that, as well as the "traditional" big things, are better fits in the more positionless like scheme than your back to the basket, lower mobility posts. She had the best showing for bigs in this outing but to get a better look at her, it might be beneficial to look at additional clips from her standard games in a traditional system. Just my two.

What impressed me most is her combination of versatility and raw athleticism. Our system relies on bigs who can finish around the rim, create in isolation, and defend multiple areas which are all things she showed glimpses of, even in a one-off all-star game. She arrived late to basketball, so her ceiling is high; with college-level training, a strength program, and structured competition, I think she grows into an even bigger asset. She's competitive and encourages the spotlight, not getting too up or too down by external noise, which will be of benefit in this setting in particular. She is less likely to cower under the bright lights and intense program scrutiny.

In my perspective: she was energetic, engaged, and a clear athletic standout. She’ll be a valuable piece in our system, and we’re lucky to have her. Constructive criticism of course is fine but I also strongly believe in keeping it constructive vs toxic before they've even stepped on campus and, bottom line, giving young players the space and benefit of a chance to develop.

 

[Rooster1]

Just out of curiosity, who was the final winner of that dunk contest? I did not get to watch that event.

 

[Volfan2012]

In all fairness to Edwards, it sure didn’t seem that she got very many minutes. I was expecting to see more of her. That was the impression I got.

She played something like 15 minutes almost all in the first half of the game ended with 8 points and 9 rebounds. Coach of the West wasn't really fair with the minutes she seemed to have her favorites.

 

[Volfan2012]

Just out of curiosity, who was the final winner of that dunk contest? I did not get to watch that event.

Jaxon Richardson first Big O was runnerup.

 

[KnoxLikeUs]

Welcome to the forum. It’s a decent place to discuss hoops. Simply put, Oliviyah Edwards controlled the traffic during McDAAG week. She won the 1v1 contest and was electric in the dunk contest. The WNBA, NBA, and basketball analysts have raved about Oliviyah Edwards! Everything you said is what the majority saw. This is an opinion based forum. The vibes she receive from the Vol fanbase in Knoxville won’t match this kind of energy.
GBO

I watched the McDonald’s All-American Game closely, and I wanted to share my take on Big O.

First, as other posters have stated, the game is a showcase. Players are out to impress individually, and not necessarily to run a well-rehearsed system. So judging “team play” or passing etc isn’t always fair. The game is notoriously hard for bigs for this reason. Many guards were isolation-heavy, which is expected in this setting. Jerzy Robinson, the SC recruit who started with O, was pressing a bit and hunting her shot which doesn't lead to great inclusion of interior or other players. Edwards, as a versatile big, stood out IMO: she was active on the floor, involved in rebounds, finished a couple at the rim, and even flirted with a double-double. That she also participated in the dunk contest and won the 1v1 skills competition, highlights both her athleticism and her ability to create her own shot. No, she won't be playing 1 on 1 here, but Kim's system puts players in situations where they need to create and players at O's size who can do that, as well as the "traditional" big things, are better fits in the more positionless like scheme than your back to the basket, lower mobility posts. She had the best showing for bigs in this outing but to get a better look at her, it might be beneficial to look at additional clips from her standard games in a traditional system. Just my two.

What impressed me most is her combination of versatility and raw athleticism. Our system relies on bigs who can finish around the rim, create in isolation, and defend multiple areas which are all things she showed glimpses of, even in a one-off all-star game. She arrived late to basketball, so her ceiling is high; with college-level training, a strength program, and structured competition, I think she grows into an even bigger asset. She's competitive and encourages the spotlight, not getting too up or too down by external noise, which will be of benefit in this setting in particular. She is less likely to cower under the bright lights and intense program scrutiny.

In my perspective: she was energetic, engaged, and a clear athletic standout. She’ll be a valuable piece in our system, and we’re lucky to have her. Constructive criticism of course is fine but I also strongly believe in keeping it constructive vs toxic before they've even stepped on campus and, bottom line, giving young players the space and benefit of a chance to develop.