Jason Edwards needed belief to navigate long basketball journey

Jason Edwards just oozes confidence.

That's because at times the only way forward for Edwards was through belief. Belief that he could do things that not many thought he could. Vanderbilt's highly-touted transfer guard is no stranger to being counted out.

He's been there before. Time and time again.

"I feel like I was overlooked most of my basketball career," Edwards said. "I always feel like I got that chip on my shoulder just from the way I grew up, the way I was looked at. People was like, you know, he's a smaller guard. Will he be able to get a shot off here? Will he be able to get a shot off here? He won't get 20 here, he won't get 30 here. And it's like: I continue to prove them wrong."

Edwards has been proving people wrong for a long time.

After two seasons at Grayson High School in Georgia, Edwards transferred to Parkview High School for his final two high school seasons. That transfer came with two successful seasons in which Edwards led the county in scoring. It didn't come with any division one offers, though.

In fact, the end of Edwards' junior season brought something that is a rarity in his story; doubt.

"That's when like the panic set in, like I didn't think I would ever get a scholarship anywhere."

Edwards finally got his opportunity, but it looked different than he had envisioned.

The 6-foot-1 guard first sniffed college basketball as was connected to Miles College, a division two program in Birmingham, Alabama, via his AAU coach.

That coach knew where Edwards' head was at, but knew the path may be difficult for him.

"He basically advised [Miles College] for me, basically advised that 'Jason, you might be a division one player, but at this time division one scholarships aren't easy to come by and if you come here to Miles and play and showcase yourself then you have the chance to go D1 next year.'"

That plan didn't come to fruition, though.

Instead it ended in Edwards never appearing in a game at Miles College.

"I decided to redshirt there," Edwards said. "I basically told the coach that I feel like this year would help if I. basically watched the game from the sideline, develop my body some more and just redshirted."

That wasn't an easy pitch for Edwards to sell.

"I was in his office for like four hours, but he eventually agreed with me and he advised that I go JUCO the next year so I could showcase myself and then be eligible to play after a year of JUCO."

So Edwards took the step into uncertainty. A step that was guided by belief in what he could do.

"I left Miles College with no minutes played as a division two player and said that I'm about to go D1," Edwards noted. "Like it was just a lot of faith in myself that went into this decision right here to leave."

The talented guard didn't go division one, but landed on his feet at Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kansas.

For the first time at the college level, Edwards turned his belief into results.

The now-Vanderbilt guard averaged 21.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 47.9% from the field and breaking the Dodge City record for 3s made in a season in his season in Kansas.

That led to Edwards being named a NJCAA DI All American while his team finished 25-10 and made the NJCAA elite eight.

That 2022-23 season left Edwards with a decision and plenty of options.

"I had like 50 D1 offers after that, mostly mid major, I had a couple of high majors too," Edwards said.

Here was his opportunity.

The Atlanta, Georgia, native eventually chose the midmajor route and committed to North Texas.

"They were a great staff. They had a great game plan coming here and I trusted them," Edwards said. "They had prior success with junior college guys like Tylor Perry who went on to play at Kansas State and Javion Hamlet, who's a pro making a lot of money overseas right now. So I basically just said that it just makes the most sense. The stars looked like they aligned for me to come here."

Edwards' decision payed off as he went on to average 19.1 points per game and was named to the All-AAC first team in his lone season with the Mean Green.

That wasn't satisfactory for the guard, though.

"I had arguably a good season," Edwards said. "I personally feel like I had a bad season. My shooting splits dropped and my assist-to-turnover was super bad. I feel like this year was more of a learning lesson for me. I feel like I learned the ins and outs of scoring. I need to pick my spots a little more carefully, choose when to shoot and when not to shoot."

Edwards also viewed this season as a proving ground, though.

"At the end of the day, I feel like being [at North Texas] allowed me to really show that I can score versus anybody at all three levels. I was first team all conference here. We had a pretty good season."

Edwards felt he was ready for more, though.

It was time for another step. Another opportunity.

The 6-foot-1 guard entered the transfer portal this offseason with confidence that there was more out there for him.

"It was a testament of self belief," Edwards said of his transfer portal entry. "I'm not opposed to proving myself again."

That confidence was rewarded as a guy who had always been counted out wasn't for once. This time it was different. Gonzaga, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisville and just about every power five school. That didn't exclude Vanderbilt.

"Vanderbilt came kind of later, but it was like just off the rip, you could tell like how serious they were and how much they really valued me and, and expected great things from me," Edwards said.

The expectation is different for Edwards now, but his belief isn't. That's been there all along.

Edwards has bet on himself time and time again, now it's paying off.