Before Justin Edwards and DJ Wagner became the nation’s top recruits, they were 8th-grade teammates

Justin Edwards never took basketball too seriously and once was a low-key player who still needed to learn the in and outs of the game. But in one year, that all changed.

In eighth grade, Edwards saw fans in the crowd ask his teammate at the time, D.J. Wagner, for a photo following their final AAU game of the season. He thought, “Oh, he’s really a famous type?” without knowing the basketball history behind the Wagner name.

In that moment, Edwards realized the degree of the exposure and competition offered in the Philly hoops scene that ultimately gave him a spotlight, along other talented players who have since become familiar faces.

“Basketball helped me meet a lot of people,” Edwards said. “[Wagner] is one of those people I met across basketball. Everybody was talented on that team. Everybody helped me be a better player.”

Fast forward about five years, and Imhotep Charter’s Edwards and Camden’s Wagner have morphed into the nation’s top prospects in the class of 2023 with the 6-foot-7 Edwards as ESPN’s No. 1 senior while combo guard Wagner stands at No. 2.

From state championships to McDonald’s All American selections, Edwards and Wagner, who have signed with Kentucky, have collected accolades in high school.

On Saturday at 2 p.m. the two future teammates, along with Camden’s Aaron Bradshaw (a Kentucky signee ranked No. 4), will go head-to-head as No. 6 Imhotep (16-2) will take on No. 11 Camden (16-2) at St. Joseph’s Hagan Arena in what’s considered to be one of the most highly anticipated high school basketball games locally in the last decade.

“Watching these kids, who I know have grown up together, it’s going to be very intense,” said their former Team Final coach, Jason Harrigan, who’s now head coach at St. Joseph’s Prep. “We’ll remember this game and talk about it for years to come.

“I know the boys have a lot of love for each other, too. They highly respect each other and enjoy each other and root for each other. You’re going to see how serious they are about their craft.”

» READ MORE: Paul VI’s Hannah Hidalgo is a McDonald’s All American; Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner, and Aaron Bradshaw also make cut

But before they become immersed in the Philly-Camden rivalry, Edwards and Wagner, along with other local recruits, were facing the early stages of their basketball careers as teammates on Team Final, which competed on the Nike EYBL circuit.

Of the seven players on the team, the starting guards were Wagner, Shawn Battle (now at Neumann Goretti and signed with Boston College to play football), Cian Medley (now with Camden and signed with St. Louis). The bigs included the small forward Edwards and Cornelius “Boog” Robinson (now at Camden and signed with Albany).

“We were good,” Battle said. “Honestly, it was just our relationship that got us better on the court, so games would come easy. No matter what happened in the game, we would always be there for each other, we would pick each other up. There was never a dull moment.”

After Harrigan left the head coaching position at Cardinal O’Hara High School, he rejoined the coaching scene at the middle school level for a year with Team Final.

When he initially met Wagner, Harrigan, who knew his father, Dajuan, growing up, could see how much DJ wanted to flourish as a player. Wagner took the expectations and pressure that came with his name head-on and was described as a fierce competitor — similar to his dad.

“When I got a chance to meet him and talk to him, I just realized how great of a kid he was,” Harrigan said. “I could tell that his parents were very intentional with making sure that he was treating people the right way. On the basketball court, he was fiercely competitive, and off the court, he was just so humble and gracious to everybody.”

» READ MORE: Dajuan Wagner’s son has the game to become the region’s next high school basketball superstar

Edwards, however, had little exposure to basketball. He played for Big Dreams Basketball Academy, where he met Battle. The two also played on the same youth football team and had Wayne Jones as a coach, who Edwards referred to as his “manager,” helping him prosper into the athlete he is now.

The football career, though, was short-lived. Jones and Battle couldn’t help but chuckle when they talked about Edwards’ days as a wide receiver, saying it was the cold weather that sealed the deal, so he stuck to an inside sport.

But after a conversation with Edwards’ mom, Jones said she wanted a father figure and mentor in her son’s life, one who would keep him off the streets. So Jones worked to get Edwards engaged with higher-level basketball.

“The best of the best play on [Nike EYBL],” Jones said. “Early on, he had a chance to be one of those guys. He even exceeded my expectations of how good he could be. His work ethic and want to be great, he’s a kid, you put a plan in place for him, he followed exactly how you wanted it to be followed.”

But as a long and lanky eighth-grader, Edwards had much to learn when he joined Team Final. While the group started to find its groove, Edwards and Battle joined a couple weeks into the season.

Harrigan noticed the timid Edwards had natural instincts on the court, picked the right spots, and never wanted to step on other teammates’ toes.

“They all liked him immediately,” Harrigan said. “It didn’t take long for everybody to realize this kid could play. He’s going to be special. We’re still figuring things out, but you can tell immediately he had the instincts for the game and he had the skill set.”

As the group started to mesh, they learned more about each other’s games. Besides from the weekend hangouts or fine-dining trips during tournaments that encapsulated their friendship, there’s one particular memory that seems to rise above them all.

» READ MORE: Biggest takeaways from local high schools competing in the Hoophall Classic tournament

During a tournament, the group played in a 15-16 age bracket. They were trampled on throughout the first half, running out of steam and not having enough efficiency on offense. But they came back.

It wasn’t just one person, though, Battle said, as the whole team contributed to the win. Harrigan knew then this group was special.

“They were ready for high school,” Harrigan said. “We did film study, we did recap of the games, preview of the game study. I saw how committed they were, how serious they were about it.”

Despite going into different high school and AAU programs following their one year together, Edwards and Wagner, as well as the rest of the Team Final members, have stayed in contact, cheering each other on as they made their basketball dreams a reality.

The journey to playing at the next level wasn’t one Edwards expected, but having familiar teammates in Wagner and Bradshaw next fall will help the college adjustment process, he said.

“DJ is a natural alpha, even at that age,” said Harrigan, who later became the AAU coach for Wagner, Bradshaw, Medley, and Robinson with the NJ Scholars. “Justin’s a competitor as well. I think he feeds off of some of that energy. I always thought that they are a great combination. They’re going to do great things together.”

But on Saturday, in front of a sold-out crowd, friendships will be set aside as some of the most talented high school players in the nation will be on display.

“It’s probably the biggest game in our area in the last 20 years,” Jones said. “This is something that we’ve never seen before. This is great for the area and great for the city.”