Oliviyah Edwards is considered the top power forward in the 2026 recruiting class. She'd been committed and even signed to Tennessee until recently. She's now back on the market, and Washington, her hometown program, was in her final six, and now Isaiah Thomas is trying to convince her to become a Husky and "Do it BIG!"
From one former Tacoma legend to another, Thomas knows a thing or two about staying home and making noise for your hometown program. Thomas is giving a big assist to Tina Langley as Washington tries to keep Edwards home once again.
Go head and stay home and do it BIG 👀 https://t.co/aLaZCa8xLp
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) April 4, 2026
5-star Oliviyah Edwards is the best player in Washington out of Tacoma
Related: Tina Langley signs well-deserved $7 million extension with Washington
Edwards hails from Tacoma and started her basketball career at Lincoln High School, but eventually moved to Elite Prep Sports Academy (also the high school home of Zoom Diallo). Edwards narrowed her list to South Carolina, LSU, USC, Florida, and Washington. It's hard to see the Huskies in the same NIL realm as those others listed, but then again, Pat Chun just gave head coach Tina Langley a big contract last week.
Her first choice of Tennessee also shows that she's not exactly thinking about how far away her university choice is. Does Washington have a chance? Well, according to On3.com, it's not much, at about 4.3%. The site's favorite after Tennessee is South Carolina at 26%. However, with her reopening her recruitment, almost anything is at play.
Her elite ability would be showcased no matter where she goes, and she could really help the Huskies propel forward in a rocketship way. From making the NCAA Tournament to being one of the top teams in the Big Ten, if not the country.
There's some hope that she may reconsider staying close to home and that Washington can offer a competitive NIL package, but it's slim at best.