GU’s Ryan Edwards will skip senior season after finishing degree

Gonzaga center Ryan Edwards plans on working after finishing his broadcasting degree in May and he won’t play his senior season.

“It was definitely a tough decision,” Edwards said.

Gonzaga lost starting center Przemek Karnowski to graduation and freshman standout Zach Collins, who declared for the NBA Draft and signed with an agent.

Forward Johnathan Williams has decided to test the NBA waters but will not sign with an agent, maintaining the option of returning for his senior year.

“Yeah, that definitely made me think about (coming back),” Edwards said. “I just thought I might as well start (working) now.”

Asked if he considered graduating and playing elsewhere next season, Edwards said, “If I was going to play, I was going to play with these guys.”

Freshman Jacob Larsen, who sat out last season with an ACL injury, is the only center on the roster. The 6-foot-9 Williams, if he opts to return, is a natural power forward but he did see limited minutes at center last season.

Edwards recently completed his redshirt junior season. The 7-1, 295-pound center from Kalispell played a career-low 48 minutes in 17 games this season.

He saw action in 31 games as a sophomore, averaging 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds.

“It was awesome, a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Edwards said of his four years at Gonzaga. “I’m definitely grateful for everything.”