Baylor women’s basketball transfer Dre’una Edwards says Kentucky won’t sign waiver allowing her to play

Standout basketball player Dre’una Edwards, who is enrolled at Baylor after transferring from Kentucky, said Thursday on social media that Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy will not sign a waiver that will allow her the chance to play at her new school. Here’s what you need to know:

Edwards played in 53 games for Kentucky, starting in 23 contests, during her redshirt sophomore and junior years. She transferred to Kentucky after her freshman year playing for Utah. She sat out her first season with the Wildcats due to NCAA transfer rules while recovering from injuries.
Edwards said in a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday: “The NCAA has other rules in place that could help me see the floor this year with Baylor if I met the requirements and Kentucky would allow me to play … I was hopeful Kentucky would sign off to let me compete this season, as they have told me before that they hope nothing but the best for me. But instead, they will not sign the waiver.”
Elzy issued a statement later Thursday, saying in part that Edwards “transferred with the understanding that she would have to sit out unless she graduated, which she did not do.”

#FreeDree
— Dre'una Edwards (@DreeEdwards44) January 5, 2023

Backstory

Edwards left Kentucky with a slew of departures (Rhyne Howard to the WNBA and transfers Treasure Hunt to Arizona State and Jazmine Massengill to Florida State). All four of those players were starters.

Baylor is Edwards’ third school. She was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year at Utah in 2018-19. She was a two-year part-time starter at Kentucky (after sitting out a year). The biggest moment of her career came during the SEC Tournament last season when she hit the game-winning shot over South Carolina in the SEC title game. — Jennings

Elzy’s response

Elzy said Baylor asked her program to sign an NCAA No Participation Opportunity form that certified Edwards would not have had an opportunity to participate if she had stayed at Kentucky.

“That would not have been correct,” Elzy said in a statement. “Dre’una would have had the opportunity to participate if she had stayed.”

The NCAA uses the form to determine whether a player may receive a waiver to compete following a transfer year.