Kenny Edwards enters his fourth season as an assistant coach with the Norfolk State women’s basketball program in 2012-13. His main responsibilities include the development of post players, coordinating team travel and film exchange.
Joining Head Coach Debra Clark’s staff prior to her first season in 2009-10, Edwards and the other NSU coaches have begun to right the ship after the Spartans posted just one win the year prior to Clark’s arrival. The Spartans finished 12-17 in 2011-12, tied for the most wins for the program in the last 10 years, and 6-10 in the MEAC, more conference victories than the previous four years combined.
In 2010-11, NSU posted nine wins, the most since the 2004-05 campaign, and had the most non-conference wins in nine years.
In 2011-12 Edwards saw the Spartans connect for their second-best shooting percentage since the move to Division I in the 1997-98 season, with the 2010-11 serving as the best ever. Edwards’ post players were a big part of that success both years. Batavia Owens shot an NSU Division I record 50.3 percent from the floor in 2011-12. In 2010-11 Marian Brooks and Gordon each hit better than 46 percent from the floor.
Gordon finished first in the MEAC and 16th in the nation in rebounding in 2011-12. She also led the team and finished with an NSU Division I record 303 rebounds, averaging 10.4 per game. Gordon was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 6, 2012.
In 2010-11 Gordon saw her productivity increase dramatically at the end of the year. She was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 28, 2011 after a stretch of five games in which she averaged 10.0 rebounds. She finished the year 10th in the MEAC in rebounding at 6.6 boards per game.
NSU improved its rebounding margin by 6.1 boards from the previous season as Edwards and the staff began to build greater depth at the forward and center positions. All of NSU’s post players in 2010-11 were either freshmen or sophomores. The Spartans improved their rebounding margin by 4.3 boards in 2011-12.
Edwards is a familiar face to the Hampton Roads area. He came to NSU after spending the 2008-09 season as a women’s basketball assistant at Virginia Wesleyan College, helping the Lady Marlins to an 18-9 record that year.
Prior to VWC, Edwards spent several years coaching on the high school level in Hampton Roads. He served as the head boys coach at Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School (2007-08), Princess Anne High School (2003-06) and Frank Cox High School (1992-2003), all in Virginia Beach, Va.
While at Cox, Edwards was named Beach District Coach of the Year in 1993, 1994 and 1998, and led the Falcons to the regular season district titles in 1994, 1997 and 1998. Under Edwards’ leadership, Cox won the Beach District tournament title in 1998.
Edwards amassed 200 career wins as a high school coach and currently has the most career wins at Cox (169). His overall high school coaching record stands at 200-139 in 15 seasons.
Edwards, a Norfolk, Va., native, earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Longwood in 1987.
