Former Lady Vol won two national championships at Tennessee, played in WNBA

Alcorn State has chased after old alumni for its last two major coaching hires. For the next one, it’s bringing in a coach from off the Reservation.

Tonya Edwards, a former Tennessee star who led the Lady Vols to two national championships in the 1980s, was to be introduced as Alcorn’s new women’s basketball coach at a news conference today in Jackson. She will replace Shirley Walker, a longtime coach who did not have her contract renewed.

Edwards was picked over two other finalists, Provine coach Josette Barton and Howard University’s Cathy Parson. It is the first of three major hires by new athletic director Dr. Darren Hamilton that won’t be filled by an Alcornite. Hamilton had previously hired Ernest Jones and Larry Smith, both Alcorn graduates, as the head football and men’s basketball coaches, respectively.

Edwards was the MVP of the 1987 Women’s Final Four, and also led Tennessee to the 1989 national title. She later played in the now-defunct American Basketball League, earning all-star honors twice while helping the Columbus Quest win the league championship in 1997 and 1998.

After the ABL folded, Edwards played for Minnesota, Phoenix and Charlotte in the WNBA from 1999-2004. In 125 WNBA games, she averaged 3.5 points and 1.7 assists. Edwards also spent one season playing in Spain.

Edwards returned home to Flint, Mich., and coached at her alma mater Northwest Community High School from 1992-95.

She led the team to a state runner-up finish in 1992, then went a perfect 28-0 with a state title in 1993. Edwards was named the Michigan High School Coach of the Year in the state championship season.

After her playing career ended, Edwards returned to coaching. She served as an assistant at Detroit Mercy from 2006-08.