Edmond Is Team Leader When It Comes to Smiles

It was a direct order. UC Irvine basketball Coach Pat Douglass stopped practice to insist that his players acknowledge each other, even toss out a compliment from time to time.

He didn’t have to tell Malachi Edmond twice.

Edmond fed forward Marek Ondera for a layup that brought a whoop from teammates. That wasn’t good enough for Edmond, who sprinted over and jumped into Ondera’s arms.

“I was trying to get the guys to loosen up a little bit,” said Edmond, a 6-foot-1 junior guard. “We can have fun.”

There are better players on the Anteater team. Guard Jerry Green is a more consistent offensive threat. Guard Sean Jackson’s defensive play borders on a misdemeanor. Ondera is persistent.

Edmond, however, has become just as important.

When Douglass stopped to beg his team’s introverts to speak up, his plea wasn’t directed at Edmond.

“He’s assertive and positive,” Douglass said. “When he makes a mistake, he doesn’t worry about it too long. That’s important. When you make a mistake, you have to move on.”

Edmond has moved on, and up. He is averaging nine points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in the last five games, while taking some of the point guard load off Green, the team’s leading scorer.

Against New Mexico State on Jan. 29, Edmond was six for six from the field--four of the baskets were three-pointers--and three of three from the foul line. He finished with a career-high 19 points.

A perfect night, except for one thing: The Anteaters lost.

Thursday against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Edmond missed his first three shots, then made seven of eight, finishing with 16 points. He had five assists and five steals.

But the only numbers Edmond cared about in the box score were those in the final score: The Anteaters routed the Mustangs, 90-67.

“He wants to do what’s best for the team,” forward Ben Jones said. “He gets real frustrated when we’re not playing well.”

Jones has had an up-close view of that frustration, as well as Edmond’s drive for perfection.

Edmond, Jones and three other Anteater players lived together last year. It was share and share alike . . . sort of.

“Mal would always get mad because nobody did the dishes,” Jones said. “He always ended up doing them. He couldn’t stand the dishes being dirty. He’d try to wait until we did them, we knew that. When it was too long, he would do them.”

Not that the others didn’t hear about it.

“He’s a real expressive guy,” Jones said. “He has one of the greatest work ethics I’ve ever seen. If he speaks, the guys listen because they know how hard he has worked.”

That might be Edmond’s greatest contribution these days. He knows he’s not a center-stage performer, but rather the ringleader.

Edmond has played the role before. At Long Beach Poly, his backcourt partner was Mike McDonald, who is now at Stanford. McDonald was the point guard, Edmond his sidekick.

When McDonald went down with an injury, Edmond stepped in and helped the Jackrabbits to the Southern Section Division I-A championship.

“I always tried to be a leader, but my role was a little different,” Edmond said. “I was a step behind Mike. He was there a year before I arrived. He knew a little more than I did. I wasn’t going to take his role away, but when he went down, I knew what I had to do.”

Not that many college basketball coaches noticed.

McDonald went to Palo Alto. Edmond, too, picked a school of higher education . . . but lower basketball.

Irvine was coming off a 1-25 season.

Still, it was an opportunity for some playing time. As a freshman, Edmond averaged 2.8 points in 24 games and Irvine finished a surprising 9-18, qualifying for the Big West Conference tournament.

“We didn’t have a lot of seniors to direct young players on what to do at this level,” said Douglass, who took over after the 1-25 season. “He was finding his own way as he went along.”

That’s something Edmond won’t let happen to his teammates.

“Being in the program for three years, I’ve been able to mature,” Edmond said. “I’ve learned a lot about the college level. I use my vocal skills to try to bring that energy to the rest of the team.”

Talk is cheap, however, without something to back it up.

Though no player wanted his name to be used, most agreed the biggest pain in practice is being guarded by Edmond. There are days when he and other players exchange not-so-encouraging words in the heat of the moment.

“I’ll get into your stuff,” Edmond explained. “I’ll bust your bubble on defense. I like that. It’s fun. That’s what makes the game fun.”

Edmond has added some offense to his game this season. After averaging only two points in 18 games last season, he spent hours during the summer trying to improve. His shot, which once floated like a knuckleball, is now smooth.

“Lots of backspin,” Edmond said. “That’s the secret.”

He is shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three-point range, second on the team.

Edmond kept the box score from the New Mexico State game, in which he was perfect from the field and had a career high in points.

One thing, though, wasn’t a pleasure to look at: The final score.

“You come into college basketball with an idea what you want to do,” Edmond said. “It’s not a matter of what you can do for the team or what they can do for you. I’ve come to find out that sometimes what you can do collectively is better. It’s give and take.”

And, sometimes, it’s even fun.