There is a certain look among seniors this time of year. It is of desperation and hunger, yearning to be remembered as a champion, to take advantage of every last possession, knowing it could be your last.
It’s written across Ede Egharevba’s face.
“Every senior wants to have something that coaches say to their players coming up, this guy did this for our team,” he said. “The seniors, we want to leave Edison with a bang.”
Egharevba is certainly playing like it of late. He enjoyed arguably his best all-around performance Wednesday, leading No. 20 Thomas Edison to a 71-60 upset of No. 13 Eagle Academy in the opening round of the playoffs. The 6-foot-6 senior scored 26 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked two shots. He scored eight points in a 22-7 run to close the third quarter, which gave the Inventors control for good.
As far as stats go, Egharevba has enjoyed a stellar campaign. He averaged 19 points and nine rebounds per game. He led Edison to a road upset of top-seeded Cardozo with 34 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
“Today, if I was a mid-major coach, I would take him,” Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio said at the time. “He was first team all-city today.”
But the most important results – wins and losses – haven’t been on his side. Edison is just 14-14 after Wednesday’s win, finished fifth in Queens AA and lost in the opening round of the borough playoffs to Beach Channel. Egharevba has fouled out in 12 games.
“When he gets frustrated and starts losing his cool, that’s when his game goes down,” Edison coach John Ulme said.
He has kept his composure of late, and could have Edison positioned for another long postseason run. The Inventors meet No. 4 Thomas Jefferson on Friday in the second round.
Blessed with guard skills and spellbinding athleticism in a forward’s body, Egharevba, who transferred to Edison from St. Francis Prep following his freshman year, has heard from Division I schools Rhode Island, Stony Brook and Quinnipiac. He has an 82 average and has passed the NCAA Clearinghouse, he said. Egharevba plans to make a decision on his future a few weeks after the season.
“I’m happy I came to Edison,” he said, when asked about leaving St. Francis Prep. “We’re winning.”
For now, he is focused on leading the Inventors deep into the playoffs. The next few days – and possibly weeks – will decide his senior year, he said, not the previous few months.
“I’ll put everything on the line – cuts, scrapes – I’ll do whatever I have to do to win,” he said.