By Jimmy Brooks, News Staff
This fall, head basketball coach Bill Coen will welcome five new members to his team. To nobody’s surprise, these incoming players will tower over most Northeastern students at an average height over 6-foot-4.
New Huskies include point guard Marco Banegas-Flores, a local product from Boston, combo-guard Demetrius Pollard from Virginia Beach, Va., forward Quincy Ford from St. Petersburg, Fla. and Reggie Spencer from Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The incoming class not only features four freshmen, but also a senior transfer from Niagara University in New York, forward Kashief Edwards.
Edwards, a Philadelphia native, is a seasoned Division I basketball player who put up 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game during his final year at Niagara. The forward’s decision to transfer to Northeastern this fall has been well-received by his new head coach.
“It’s kind of a unique scenario,” Coen said of Edwards joining the team. “He’s a graduated senior from Niagara University. Under NCAA rules, if you have a particular major that isn’t available to Niagara, he is able to transfer and be on the floor right away.”
Luckily for Coen, that’s exactly what will happen: Edwards will be eligible to play from the moment he steps on campus without the year-long “sit-out rule” that so many other transfer student-athletes are required to yield to.
“He was a good player for [Niagara] and he played an awful lot,” Coen said. “He’ll be our only senior this season. We wanted a little maturity and some senior leadership. We’re very lucky that this opportunity presented itself.”
Coen wasn’t the only one singing the 6-foot-6 forward’s praises. Andre Noble, Edwards’ high school head coach, also lauded his former star.
“Kashief is an athletic four-man that has a solid face-up game,” Noble said. “He has played against much bigger guys in his career and has done a good job producing. … [The Imhotep Institute Charter High School] is proud of him and his accomplishments.”
While it is too early to tell whether Edwards or the other four members of this year’s incoming class will be successful, head coach Bill Coen said he felt his haul-in was more than sufficient.
He said was he able to land such a strong class because many recruits were attracted to Northeastern.
“I think Northeastern has the total package,” Coen said. “The social environment in Boston is number one in my opinion. The globally recognized level of education combined with the co-op program … and the level of play [in the CAA], make coming here a powerful sell.”
