Imagine a world in which “LeBron James” was not a household name. It’s never been on TV, it’s never in the news, but it’s on your YouTube feed. That’s pretty much what happened to the Jesse Edwards men’s basketball center in Syracuse.
It was his brother, Kai, who really introduced him to LeBron James and basketball.
“I will always remember, it is [Kai] “He watched crazy videos of LeBron James,” Jesse said. “He was interested in her, and when he got into something, we all started doing it for a while.”
It didn’t take long for Jesse to arrive, too. The only problem is difficult access to basketball courts in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Jesse and Kai had close collars. Finding basketball tournaments was much more difficult.
“We didn’t play sports in high school,” said Jesse. “We used to go to the club and play. But when we got there, the club was also very small, there was no training or serious training.”
“I remember when I was 16 years old [years old]”I went to the club to join the team and they said come and try next summer,” added Kai. I really thought it was over, but I didn’t even start. As for basketball, it is a different word from that found in the United States. Throughout Amsterdam. You have one or two teams. “
But that didn’t stop Jesse or Kay. Performances for Kai started soon after, and Jesse wasn’t far off. When Syracuse became an option, he did not hesitate to say that the Carrier Dome was one of the determining factors in his decisions. But he didn’t really hesitate about anything.
“I didn’t feel like there was nowhere else that could bring what Cuse could bring,” Jesse said. “It wasn’t the hardest choice for me.”
While the choice wasn’t difficult, Jesse said it was.
“The hardest part is the speed. Outside the US, everyone is playing faster. Overtaking was harder for me and I couldn’t just rely on my sport. Here everyone has some kind of crazy sports. So just play. Against others on the level, it’s fun.” Very difficult, but also difficult. “
Despite his strength, Jesse has one of the most experienced basketball coaches in college. Taurus coach Syracuse Jim Boheim says the same thing in every game, but he never gets old.
“Before we go to the dome, with the cameras and things, he always said nothing changes, basketball still. He always says, ‘Go and play there,’ which sounds very easy, but that’s what I always remember.”
In the first NCAA Championship match of 2021 in Syracuse, Jesse is sure to remember Boheim’s words to go there and play.
