Bill Edwards is Ohio through and through: born in Middletown, high school in Carlisle, and college in Fairborn. By the time he left Wright State in 1993 he had become the best player in school history: 1993 MCC POY/tourney MVP, a trip to the 1993 NCAA tourney, and the greatest scorer/rebounder the Raiders had ever seen. He followed up a short NBA career with a very long European career before returning to his alma mater to showcase his strength and conditioning skills. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Bill about scoring 45 PTS in a game and winning a bronze medal. Today is Bill’s 50th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
Your nickname at Wright State was “Dolla Bill”: who gave you the nickname, and how did you like it? In my sophomore year there was a local reporter who said that “if you gave him the ball, it was like money in the bank”: it just took off and everyone called me that. After I turned pro people thought that the nickname was because I had money!
In December 1992 you scored a school-record 45 PTS (20-30 FG) and had 13 REB in a win over Morehead State despite getting taken out of the game with 5 minutes left: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Yes: I felt really good in that game. I joked with my coach that he should have left me in: I did not know how many PTS I had but on nights like that you never want to come out.
In 1993 you scored over 25 PPG and were named conference POY: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor, and did you feel like you were 1 of the best players in the country? It was hard to judge myself against other players around the country: I just did whatever it took to help my team win. We all had roles and my role was to score/rebound. It was an honor but I never tried to attain POY awards.
What are your memories of the 1993 NCAA tourney (you scored 18 PTS in a loss to Indiana, who was led by 29 PTS from Calbert Cheaney)? It was a rough 1 for us in our 1st-ever trip to the NCAA tourney. We were hoping to go somewhere warm…and they sent us up the road to play the Hoosiers in Indianapolis! They had a great coach in Bobby Knight and a good team: Cheaney, Greg Graham, etc.
You remain the all-time leading scorer/2nd-best rebounder in school history: did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were, and did you think that anyone would ever break your records? Scoring was just something that I did starting back in high school. God blessed me with the ability to score but I never thought that my records would last 20 years. I was only 190 pounds when I arrived in college but just had a knack for knowing where the ball would come off the rim. The only reason I had the rebounding record (which was broken by Loudon Love last season) is that kids these days just do not do the little things. I am amazed that schools cannot recruit kids to just rebound the ball because every team needs a good rebounder.
Despite not getting drafted you ended up playing 3 games for Philadelphia in 1994: what is your favorite memory from your brief time in the NBA? I did not have too many good memories because we were 1 of the worst teams in the league that year (25-57). It was fun to play with guys like Moses Malone: he was very down-to-earth.
At the 1998 FIBA World Championship your team held a 10-PT lead with 3 minutes to play, but Serguei Panov went coast-to-coast for a layup with 4 seconds left to clinch a 2-PT win by Russia: what did it mean to you to play for team USA (no NBA players were on the team due to labor problems), and where does the Russia game rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It was an honor to represent my country after the lockout, which I never expected to happen. The Russia loss was hard because we spent our entire summer trying to win a gold medal. It hurt, but it was still gratifying to win the bronze.
You played professionally overseas for 12 years: what did you learn from that experience, and how did it compare to college basketball? I liked playing overseas even though I did not know what to expect. The game was a bit rougher because you would have to beat your man and then beat someone else because there was no illegal defense. I know that a lot of guys get homesick and end up coming home but it never bothered me…as long as my check arrived on time! I kept some of my money in my freezer: whenever I thought about getting back to the US I would just open up my freezer and count my money.
Your son Bill Jr. played for Penn State/Miami Ohio: why did he decide to switch schools? I think he transferred because he was homesick, even though he denied it. It bothered me when he left because I knew that Miami was not the best fit for him. He called me the 1st week he was in Miami and told me that he was thinking of leaving. It was a big change to go from the Big 10 to the MAC.
You later became an assistant strength and conditioning coach at your alma mater and took classes to get your undergraduate degree: how did you like the job, and what is the post-graduate plan? It was a new experience to be a strength and conditioning coach: I never realized there was so much else to it besides lifting weights but I was happy for the opportunity. After graduation I hope to continue coaching at the next level or maybe head overseas.