Edmondson to St. John's

After not signing a single player during the early period, St. John's got its second commitment of the week.

TyShwan Edmondson, a 6-4, 175-pound playmaking guard from University Heights Academy in Hopkinsville, Ky, has signed a Letter of Intent to play for Norm Roberts' team.

"I am very excited to come to St. John's," said Edmondson. "This is a big step in my life, and I am ready to come in and work hard, to be the best that I can be."

Edmondson possesses the ability to score in transition, create his own shot, score off his defense and set up his teammates. He comes from the same high school program as former St. John's player Sergio Luyk (1991-95), who passed away recently in Spain.

A first team all-state selection by the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Kentucky Herald Leader, and a second team honoree according to the Associated Press, Edmondson averaged 18.4 points per game, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.7 steals as a senior at UHA. He keyed the Blazers to a 30-5 record in 2007-08, leading UHA to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) District 8 and Region 2 championship, before reaching the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen in the large school state tournament and taking the title among the smaller schools in the Kentucky All "A" Tournament.

"TyShwan will give us great minutes at the point and solid minutes off the ball as well, because he is a quality scorer," said Roberts. "He will help us on the defensive end with his length and quickness, and we are very excited to add him to our backcourt."

After being named the Kentucky All "A" Tournament's most valuable player, Edmondson was selected to participate in the Kentucky-Ohio All-Star game, where he won the dunk contest and scored 14 points for his home state's squad on April 13.

"St. John's is getting a quality person that will represent the program well in the classroom, on campus and on the basketball court," said UHA high school coach Randy McKoy. "His upside is tremendous. He was a great high school player in the state of Kentucky, and at the next level with a structured weight program, he will really excel."

Edmondson's commitment comes the same week that Quincy Roberts, a 6-5, 175-pound shooting guard from Harrisburg, Pa., signed with the Johniees.

Some recruits, most recently including Florida transfer Jonathan Mitchell, had crossed the Queens school of their list because of concerns over Roberts' future at St. John's. It is good news for the program that Roberts has landed two players during the late signing period, and still has two ships to give.