Edwards signs letter of intent to continue career at Alaska Fairbanks

Former Long Beach City College guard Ashton Edwards (Fairfax HS) has signed his National Letter of Intent and will continue his academic and athletic career at the University of Alaska Fairbanks this coming fall.

Edwards says he chose Alaska Fairbanks over Western Washington University and Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.

"I really enjoyed my visit to Alaska," said Edwards on why he chose UAF. "I was impressed by the coaching staff and the campus. This is a great opportunity for me and I'm very grateful. I'd really like to thank Coach (Barry) Barnes and especially Coach (Tristan) Taylor for helping me with the recruiting process."

Alaska Fairbanks competes at the NCAA Division II level and is a member of the of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). Fairbanks is the second largest city in the state of Alaska with an estimated population of 32,070.

Despite not playing this past 2013-14 season, Edwards was still recruited by four-year colleges.  Edwards was a South Coast Conference South Division honorable mention selection as a sophomore during the 2012-13 season when he ranked second on the Vikings with 19.4 points per game. His 4.2 assists per game led Long Beach.

His jump in numbers were impressive considering he saw limited action as a freshman the year before. Even more amazing is that Edwards didn't play high school basketball.

"I'm very proud of him," said LBCC head coach Barry Barnes. "For him to not play high school ball and come here and get all-conference, that's crazy. 'Ash' is also a great student. He had the highest GPA on the team his sophomore year. I know he will do well there."

Barnes' son, Barry Jr., also transferred to Alaska Fairbanks in 2005 after playing at LBCC.    

Barnes also expects sophomores Kristien Owens (Wilson HS) and Mwelu Mataya (Redondo Union HS) to sign with four-year colleges in the coming weeks.