‘It’s like we’re all walking together’: First-year basketball player from Canada is ready for her season to start

Basketball runs in Lakresha Edwards’s family.

“My mom introduced basketball to me, but my brothers also played before me,” the incoming first-year at Miami University said. “I was always surrounded [by it] in the gym.”

Edwards is coming to Miami from Chilliwack, British Columbia in Canada, 2,000 miles away. She started playing basketball competitively in sixth grade, and she hasn’t left the court since. Last year, she moved across the country to play competitively at Fort Erie International Academy in Ontario.

When it came time to apply to colleges, Edwards knew she wanted to come to America. The programs are more competitive here, she said, and she’s up to the challenge.

“I just wanted to come out here and be pushed and challenged and … just come experience something completely different,” Edwards said.

Edwards said she knew Miami was the right school for her as soon as she got on campus. She had already built up a relationship with the coaches over the phone, and coming to Oxford confirmed her decision. She’s been here for two months now, practicing and taking classes.

While Edwards is still an undecided major, she said being on campus and taking classes this summer has led her to consider majoring in sociology. It’s also given her a chance to bond with her teammates both on and off the court before the season starts, including a karaoke night and a trip to Kings Island.

“It's pretty empty, because it's only athletes on campus, but I love it so far,” Edwards said. “My team is all really close. We're all pretty new, I think four returners and the rest of us are new, and just being able to bond with them … during the offseason right now is really fun.”

Edwards’s year in Ontario prepared her mom, Gisele Edwards, for the distance from Oxford to Chilliwack, and knowing her daughter is in the right place has helped, too.

“The only problem with her being at that university is the fact that I can't have her in my backyard and get to watch her in person, but she's in the right space,” Edwards said. “It didn't matter where she was, [we’re] very blessed to have livestream now to watch her games.”

As the semester starts and the women’s basketball season approaches, Lakresha Edwards said she’s ready to get started.

“I'm looking forward to just getting on the court, hopefully bringing some wins to the team … just kind of bringing a breath of fresh air to this team,” Edwards said. “Everyone's kind of new, so it's like we're all walking together.”