Ed Turner

Was scheduled to visit: April 8, 2005

04/09/05: Turner did not make his campus visit. - Enquirer.com

04/08/05: "Two basketball recruits have scheduled official visits to the University of Cincinnati campus for this weekend. DeAndre Coleman, a 6-foot-7 forward from Stephenson High School in Atlanta, and Ed Turner, a 6-8 forward from Central Florida Community College, are expected to arrive at UC today. Turner, from Buffalo, N.Y., began his career at Pittsburgh, redshirted during the 2002-03 season, then transferred to Central Florida Community College. He averaged 20 points and nine rebounds as a high school senior." - Enquirer.com

http://www.cf.edu/student/athletics/mensbb/04turner.htm

03/21/05: "Among the players UC is recruiting are: Mario Bogan, 6-7, 225 pounds from Chipola (Fla.) College; Ivan Johnson, 6-7, 235 from Los Angeles (Calif.) Southwest Community College; Torre Johnson, 6-7, 210 from Garden City (Kan.) Community College, Ed Turner, 6-8 from Central Florida Community College; and DeAndre Coleman, a 6-7 wing player from Stephenson (Ga.) High School." - Enquirer.com

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05/13/04: "Pitt sophomore basketball player Ed Turner has transferred to Central Florida Community College, opening up a scholarship for next season.

Although Turner rarely played at Pitt, he was considered one of the more athletic members of the team. He was a solid ballhandler and could play the shooting guard or small forward positions. He starred at Turner-Carroll High in Buffalo -- the same school that produced former Pitt star Julius Page -- but never got untracked at Pitt.

Page often said Turner, 6-6, 190, had the most athletic ability on the team and believed he would eventually bolster the Panthers program.

According to Turner's high school coach, Fajri Ansari, Turner met with coach Jamie Dixon at the conclusion of the semester and determined that it was in his best interests to transfer.

"Coach Dixon said he couldn't promise him anything, and Ed thought it was best to move on," Ansari said. "He's too talented to be sitting on a bench. I coached Leonard Stokes (Cincinnati) and Julius, and he's as talented as anybody I've coached. I know he initially wanted to return to Pitt, but after the meeting, it seemed like transferring was the best option."

Ansari said Turner's grades were "borderline," but pointed out that he always maintained his eligibility. At Central Florida, Turner hopes to improve on his grade-point average for a year, then transfer to a Division I school. He would have two years of eligibility remaining at the Division I level.

"He had his struggles academically, but he kept learning," Ansari said. "He was a very young freshman when he came to Pitt and I think that contributed to things. But he's going to keep growing, and he's just a super-talented kid. I know he was upbeat about returning to Pitt, but things just didn't work out. He'll be OK, though, and he's going to help some team out there. I know he will." - Pittsburg Tribune