Connor HoodScott Edwards became the sixth University of Alberta coach to reach 400 career wins after the Pandas beat the Mount Royal University (MRU) Cougars 61-38 on November 10.
Edwards has been the head coach of the Pandas basketball team for the last 18 years. The win marked Edwards’s 400th career win at the U of A. It was also his 250th Canada West Women’s Basketball conference win. This milestone also put Edwards in the lead amongst current U of A coaches for the number of conference wins.
“It’s a nice accomplishment to say that you’ve been here long enough to be put into the group of coaches that [are] the top six,” Edwards said.
Edwards emphasized how the people around him have helped him achieve this milestone. The staff and players he has worked with make this achievement more significant to him, he said.
“I’ve just been really blessed with the kind of people that have spent time here, both as athletes and as coaches, trainers, medical staff, and athletic administrators. It’s been a really fun journey for me as a coach working at the U of A.”
When reflecting on his time coaching the Pandas, he said watching his athletes grow has been rewarding.
“It’s been a real treat and journey to watch these women grow into professionals in their personal lives, and getting to see their growth as human beings,” Edwards said.
Edwards noted that as the Pandas were the 2023 champions of Canada West, they are going into this year’s national championships with high expectations. This year, for the first time since 2001, U of A will hold the championships. Edwards described Canada West as a “difficult conference to win games in.”
“It’s high expectations at our school. All the women who play here really embraced that and enjoy that competition,” Edwards said.
“A big thing for us is allowing all of our athletes to be themselves,” Edwards says
Since reaching 400 career wins, Edwards has received congratulatory messages from former players.
“It was nice to see them caring so much about the program and the culture that they helped build. It’s nice for all of us to take a second and reflect on the past once in a while,” Edwards said.
As a coach, he hopes that his athletes value integrity and become the best version of themselves for their community. He also hopes they treat others with the respect they learned through basketball.
“We talk a lot about your individual growth as a human being, [and] your commitment to the people around you. And those ideas of leading an integrity-driven life, being lifelong learners as academics, and just being really good human beings,” Edwards said.
“A big thing for us is allowing all of our athletes to be themselves and feel safe in [this] space. And, make sure they know that they’ve got the backing of their teammates.”
Edwards is a U of A alumnus, and he is “looking forward to working with the next generation of athletes.”
“I hope that when they go out into the real world and leave the university campus, they will treat everyone they meet with the same type of respect that they’ve learned how to live with.”
