After signing a contract to play professional basketball in Israel, Drew Edelman had another piece of business to finish up. The UCSB senior submitted her master’s thesis at the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education.
“It’s about leadership,” Edelman said. She picked out two prominent sports figures, Rafer Johnson and Lance Armstrong. In Johnson, who had a humble background before becoming a star athlete at UCLA, an Olympic decathlon champion, and a Special Olympics maestro, she found the qualities of a true leader. In Armstrong, whose victories in the Tour de France were tainted by his admitted doping, she saw a failure to fulfill his role.
Edelman was a leader for the Gaucho women’s basketball team. She was a two-year starter after transferring from USC, where she earned a BA degree. She averaged 16.2 points and 9.6 rebounds and received All-Big West First Team recognition for the 2017-18 season.