Justin Edwards, the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2023 class, has committed to John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats, he tells 247Sports.
The 6-foot-7, 180-pound small forward from Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Institute chose Kentucky over their SEC rival, the Tennessee Volunteers.
“It really came down to me in terms of my dreams and I’ve always seen playing for Kentucky, it was my childhood dream,” he said of why he chose Kentucky.
“Seeing all the people who went from there to the NBA,” he added, is why it was his childhood dream. “My overall goal was to get to the NBA and I’ve seen how successful he’s been with the Wings.”
Edwards had a big and long-standing lead at Tennessee for most of the recruiting but that changed when Calipari took over recruiting and took charge himself.
“He was telling me he really wanted to coach me and he was going to help me get to where I wanted to go,” he said of the Hall of Fame head coach. “He’s a good guy and I think he’s honest, which is a big thing. He’s 100 percent honest with me.”
Edwards is one of the most versatile and skilled wings in the entire class, and his ability to dribble, pass and shoot is what Kentucky hopes to bring.
“A winning mentality,” he said. “I love to win so I’m going to try to keep winning out there and get them a national championship.”
Edwards is Kentucky’s third commit in the 2023 class joining five-star commit Rob Dillingham and four-star local star Reed Shepard.
