.avif){kind=logo}
To most, “West Coast basketball” means California. But take the I-5 up to Tacoma, WA, and you’ll meet Oliviyah Edwards, who is rewriting the narrative. The 6-3 star is showing just how far the game can take you.
Before becoming the household name she is today, the high school phenom explored a wide range of sports including football, wrestling and swimming. But Oliviyah found her true passion on the basketball court. “I didn’t have this big expectation. I didn’t even know I was gonna be good when I came to basketball,” Edwards says, reflecting on her early journey.
In a gym full of hoopers chasing dreams of college ball and the League, Edwards was just there to have fun.
While everyone else locked in on drills and picked things up quickly, Oliviyah remembers chasing the ball as it bounced off her foot, losing focus and running endless down-and-backs as she learned the game. But that grind is what kept her coming back. “I was just kind of willy-nilly. I was doing it just because I was thrown into it,” Edwards says. “I was like, OK, this is what I’m doing now. Let’s go. I feel like basketball gave me a look into my future.”
It didn’t take long before that future became clear. Soon, every Power Five program was calling, eager to recruit a three-level scorer with relentless drive and determination, ready to elevate any program.
The triple-double machine that is Edwards is undeniable no matter what court she steps on. Whether meeting her at the rim or catching her dunking in transition, competitors are well aware of the challenge that comes with guarding the future Tennessee Lady Volunteer.
Understanding what the game calls for is crucial for young hoopers. “I can make a play for myself. I can make space where I can score,” Edwards says. “But I can also make a play for my teammates.”
That balance—the mastery of fundamentals paired with getting everyone involved—has become the foundation of Oliviyah’s game. With that talent comes responsibility, especially as the No. 1 option on the floor and one of the top players in her class. “I feel like people don’t understand what it comes with,” Edwards says. “Just the different expectations that you have.”
She recalls games where her team came up short and fans questioned how a team with the No. 2 player in the country could lose. “I can lose a game. Everybody loses games,” Edwards says.
That mental toughness, combined with her dedication to the game, keeps Edwards grounded. No matter the arena or level of competition, she remains herself. “Don’t forget who you are. Keep being you,” Edwards says, sharing a message to herself. “I’m proud now, proud then and proud before everything.”
With the world at her fingertips, Oliviyah is preparing to join one of the top programs in women’s basketball: Tennessee. And the Knoxville community is ready to propel Edwards when she takes the helm and begins writing her own story. “I feel like they gave me the [nitty-gritty] of what it was going to be like when I got there, and I really respected them,” Edwards says. “I just felt like it was a part of a big family, and that’s where I need to be if I’m going to be this far away from home.”
She will be guided by one of the University of Tennessee’s—and the game’s—greats, Candace Parker. “She’s very supportive,” Edwards says of their bond. “Just seeing how she inspired everybody else, I want to be that type of inspiration to others.”
