McDonogh junior Danielle Edwards wasn't in a rush to decide where to play college basketball, but the players and coaches at Clemson changed her mind.
"I didn't really want to make my decision quite yet, but it came down to Dayton and Clemson, and I just knew that the environment when I visited was just so overwhelming," Edwards said. "I loved it. The team was great, the coaches, they were very welcoming and heartwarming.
"I didn't want to make my decision ... my whole future thing kind of scares me. But I knew in my heart that it was where I wanted to be."
The 5-foot-6 point guard verbally commited to play basketball for the Tigers on Sunday, choosing Clemson over N.C. State, Boston College, Fordham, George Washington and others.
Edwards was recruited by a Clemson coaching staff that includes Marc Wilson, a 1982 Calvert Hall graduate who played on the Cardinals' 34-0 mythical national champion team with Edwards' father.
"Everytime I called him he had a new story to tell me about my father," she said. "I think the best one would be how theres a picture of their winning team in the Applebees [near Calvert Hall]."
Edwards still has two seasons of basketball ahead of her at McDonogh, the second-ranked team in The Baltimore Sun's preseason girls basketball poll. Edwards, an All-Metro first-team selection last season, averaged 13 points and four assists as a sophomore and is closing in on 1,000 career points.
The Eagles lost in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference final to Archbishop Spalding last season after winning the conference title in 2012.
"I feel like we're going to win it," Edwards said. "We have everyone back with a couple new additions, two freshmen that will help us a lot. Everyone has gotten better since the last time I've seen them. Its crazy how much a year can change a team."
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