LYNNWOOD — Jasmin Edwards is a basketball star. She’s a stellar student. Even her high school attendance record is perfect.
“She took after her mom, not after me,” her father joked.
In truth, Everett Edwards has been a huge influence on his daughter, who will graduate June 14 from Lynnwood High School. The Seattle police detective is head coach of Lynnwood High’s girls basketball team. He has coached Jasmin since grade school.
A point guard, she played varsity basketball all four years. She led the Lynnwood Royals to a third-place finish in this year’s 4A state playoffs. In March, she was named The Herald’s 2014 Girls Basketball Player of the Year. She also played varsity softball as a center fielder and lead-off batter.
This fall, she’ll have to get used to new coaches. She will play basketball at Central Washington University and hopes for a career in physical therapy or sports medicine.
“School-wise, I have a 4.0 GPA. I’m pretty proud of that,” said Edwards, 18. Academically, she leans toward math and science. “I took AP math classes,” including Advanced Placement second-year calculus.
She is also involved in Young Life, a Christian group for teens. And she has been a basketball referee at the Alderwood Boys &Girls Club. “I love it, the little kindergartners,” she said.
Everett Edwards, who played basketball at Clark College and Seattle University, will still coach a daughter next year. Jasmin’s sister Jordyn will be a junior at Lynnwood High, and their brother, Elijah, will be a Lynnwood sophomore. They also have a 21-year-old brother, Anthony.
“Definitely, I will miss my family,” Jasmin Edwards said. “And high school athletics — I have made so many friendships. Since freshman year, I have lived and breathed Lynnwood.”
For Everett and Laurie Edwards, her graduation means future trips on I-90 to watch Wildcat basketball in Ellensburg. “I can’t wait,” said the coach and proud dad. “We’re very blessed.”
Stories on the Class of 2014
• Justin Cho, Jackson: A slow, grueling comeback from sudden illness
• Jasmin Edwards, Lynnwood: She excelled in the classroom and on the court
• Micaela Powell, Everett: After transplant, she has a new heart and new horizons
• Josh and Zach Rodriguez, Arlington: Twins will head down separate paths
• Josh Sharpe, Snohomish: Under the burden of loss, he carried on
• Santana Shopbell, Tulalip Heritage: She set a goal — and an example for others
• Michael Wanner, Kamiak: At West Point, he’ll learn to be a leader
