Army National Guard of the Week: Justin Edwards talks playing for Coach Cal, Kentucky

Justin Edwards is a big fan of music, but the Kentucky freshman guard has a rule that he has created for himself, which helps him ease into his day.

“No rap before 12,” Edwards said. “I like to go into my days calm.”

Edwards, who considers singing one of his hidden talents, likes to start off his days with artists such as Adele, Beyonce and Rihanna – a more low-key, smooth style of music.

As for his style of play on the basketball court, “smooth” is the perfect word to describe Edwards’ game. The talented 6-foot-8 freshman standout is less than a week removed from the best game of his young college career, putting up 28 points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting performance in a 117-95 win over then-No. 13 Alabama.

“I was just in the flow of everything,” Edwards said when asked what led to his historic 10-for-10 shooting night. “[It hit me] at the end of the game when the crowd gave me a standing ovation when I got subbed out for the final time.”

Edwards is part of a talented Kentucky backcourt that includes fellow freshmen Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and D.J. Wagner, all ranked among the top 80 prospects in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports.com Composite Rankings.

Following Edwards’ standout game against Alabama last weekend, it was Sheppard’s turn to deliver this past Tuesday in a 91-89 victory over Mississippi State. The 6-3 sharpshooting guard poured in a career-high 32 points, including a game-winner from just inside the foul line with less than a second left to secure the Wildcats’ fourth win in their last five games.

“We’re all on the same page. We’re all looking at the bigger picture,” Edwards said of his backcourt mates. “We want to win the SEC Tournament and we want to go far in March. We’re all gym rats. All of us are always in the gym, working out together.”

Edwards’ impressive play has led to him being named this week’s FOX Sports Army National Guard of the Week. With that, we discussed multiple topics, including his favorite music artists, his relationship with Coach John Calipari and how he ended up at Kentucky.

“Growing up, Kentucky was always my dream school,” Edwards said. “I was always challenged to be the best version of myself, and I always felt like this was the best spot for me to be challenged.”

Calipari and the Wildcats’ coaching staff have indeed challenged Edwards throughout the season, which included insisting that he “stay the course” during a rough stretch throughout the month of January. After averaging 10.3 points per game over the first eight games of the season, Edwards went on a cold streak where he went nine straight games without scoring in double figures while shooting under 40 percent from the field. Calipari challenged Edwards to keep working at his game and told him that, eventually, he was going to break through.

“I was struggling and me and him always had conversations about how we believe in each other,” Edwards said of Calipari. “It shows that he believes in me as a player, telling me everything is gonna be fine and work out well.”

Kentucky is arguably playing its best basketball of the season, winners of two straight and four of its last five. Edwards and the Wildcats sit at 20-8 overall and 10-5 in SEC play, two games behind Tennessee and Alabama atop the conference standings.

“We’ve been turning the page defensively,” Edwards said of his team’s recent surge. “We haven’t really been healthy yet. When we have a full roster, I feel like we’re really good and hard to guard.”

Watch my complete interview with Edwards below and follow along at FOXSports.com and on social media, @CBBonFOX, for our next FOX Sports Army National Guard of the Week interview.

Kentucky’s Justin Edwards is John Fanta’s Guard of the Week

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on X at @John_Fanta.

Get more from College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more