Forget the numbers when assessing the basketball career of Flint’s Tonya Edwards.
Sure, she put up some impressive statistics along the way, most notably her 2,307 career points for Northwestern High from 1982-85. That was a state record at the time and currently ranks sixth on Michigan’s all-time list.
The stats were just a means to an end, however.
To really judge Edwards’ career, visit her former schools and check out the evidence of championships won.
Edwards’ contributions to Northwestern’s gymnasium are the 1983, 1984 and 1993 Class A championship banners. The first two titles were won as a player, the third as a coach, as she became the first person in Michigan to play for and coach a state championship team in girls basketball.
From there, Edwards moved on to the University of Tennessee, where she helped raise the first two of the eight national championship banners won by legendary coach Pat Summitt in 1987 and 1989.
“One of the reasons I chose to go there was because she hadn’t won a national championship,” said Edwards, who was named the MVP of the Final Four as a freshman in 1987.
At the professional level, Edwards won titles with Columbus of the American Basketball League in 1996-97 and 1997-98 before playing 125 games in the WNBA from 1999-2002.
Those achievements were more than sufficient to earn Edwards’ induction tonight into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame.
Edwards’ will to compete and win was honed on the hard courts of Flint, which has produced so many talented basketball players over the years.
“I always tell people that growing up in Flint prepared you for life after college because it made you mentally tough and physically tough, because there are a lot of athletes in that area,” Edwards said. “For Flint to be as small as it is, you have a great deal of talented athletes emerge from there, not only in basketball, but football and baseball as well.”
It also prepared Edwards well for what she was about to encounter when she signed on with Summitt’s program at Tennessee.
“Playing there was extremely tough,” she said. “I was part of the first championship team at Tennessee. You learned just how hard you really have to work to win a championship, just all the discipline and mental toughness that goes into it.”
Edwards scored 13 points, to go with seven rebounds and four assists as the Lady Vols beat Louisiana Tech 67-44 in Austin, Texas for the 1987 national title. After winning the MVP, she said: “It was a big surprise to me. I believe anybody on our team could have won it.”
Perhaps the most special championship Edwards won was as the coach of her alma mater in 1993. She quickly rebuilt the Wildcats’ program in three years as head coach, leading the team to a 28-0 record in the championship season.
Northwestern trailed by five points in the final minute, but beat Detroit King 44-43 on a dramatic steal and layup by Nicole Massey with 14 seconds remaining.
“You always tell kids, if you work hard, that will happen,” Edwards said. “They were able to see the fruit of their labor. l was happy to be able to see them realize their dreams do come true. I still remember Nicole Massey jumping out in the passing lane and taking the ball the length of the court and making the layup. It was truly a memorable game.”
Edwards now hopes that a new group of young women can experience that championship feeling. She was hired July 1 to coach Alcorn State in Lorman, Miss. Edwards takes over for Shirley Walker, who was fired in May after 30 seasons as head coach. Alcorn State is in the final year of a three-year NCAA probation for several violations.
“For me, it’s fulfilling,” Edwards said. “I’m able to give back and hopefully teach some of the things I’ve learned over the years from coaches I’ve had and help some young ladies reach their goals like I have.”
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