Tonya Edwards

Tonya Edwards (born March 13, 1968 in Flint, Michigan) is a former professional basketball player and is currently a college coach.

High school and University of Tennessee

Edwards attended Northwestern High School in Flint, Michigan, and led the girls' basketball team to two state high school championship teams in 1983 and 1984.

After graduating from high school, Edwards attended college at University of Tennessee and played for their team, nicknamed the "Lady Vols", and helped lead them to two NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships in 1987 and 1989.

During her collegiate career, she scored 1,309 points for a 10.5 per game average during her four-year career and was named the Most Valuable Performer in the 1987 NCAA Tournament.

She graduated in 1990.

Professional career

After graduating from college, there were no opportunities to play professional basketball in the United States, so Edwards played professionally in Spain from 1991-1992, Turkey in 1994, and in Israel (1995-1996).

In the Autumn of 1996, she played for the Columbus Quest in the American Basketball League (ABL), and won two championship titles with them. In 1998, Edwards became the interim head coach for the Quest after coach Brian Agler resigned.

After the ABL folded due to financial difficulties, Edwards was selected by the Minnesota Lynx in the 1999 WNBA Draft. She also played for the Phoenix Mercury and Charlotte Sting.

Coaching career

Edwards began her coaching career by returning to her "alma mater", Northwestern Community High School in Flint, Michigan, for five seasons (1990-1995), and guided her team to the 1993 state championship with perfect 28-0 record, a 1992 state champion runner-up finish, and compiled a 78-23 overall record (.772). She was named 1993 "High School Coach of the Year" in the state of Michigan.

In 2004, she became a radio commentator for the Phoenix Mercury games, and later became an assistant coach in the National Women's Basketball League.

In 2006, she was inducted to the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame. That same year, she was named as an assistant coach to the women's basketball team at University of Detroit Mercy.

She also resides in a small village called West End in Surrey from time to time now when staying in Britain.

Vital statistics

*Position: Guard
*Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
*College: University of Tennessee
*Team(s): Minnesota Lynx, West End Mercury, Charlotte Sting

External links

* [http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/tonya_edwards/index.html WNBA Player Profile]
* [http://www.detroittitans.com/wbasketball.jsp?id=1157996758365 September 11, 2006 press release on Edwards joining the University of Detroit Mercy coaching staff]
* [http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/hallfame/06/TonyaEdwards.htm Profile from the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame]