April 20, 2007
Fullerton, Calif. - Edvaldo "Eddie" Lima, a 6-foot-9, 280-pound center from Arizona Western College in Yuma, has signed a national letter of intent to continue his basketball career at Cal State Fullerton. He will have three years to use two remaining seasons of eligibility.
"He will be a tremendous addition to our team for next season," said Titans' fifth-year Head Coach Bob Burton. "He really gives us some size inside. He's very strong, very skilled and very intelligent. He's just starting to develop and he is going to get better and better."
Lima started all 33 games in 2006-07 and averaged 7.4 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Matadors, who were 27-6 overall and 18-4 for a first-place tie in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference. Lima was third in the conference in field goal percentage at .569.
Lima was a late-season starter as a freshman in 2005-06 when the Matadors went 28-7 and advanced to the national championship tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas, after another 18-4 conference mark. He averaged 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting .624 from the floor. This season the Matadors won the regional championship but lost in the district finals to College of Southern Idaho. Lima was selected MVP of the regional tournament with 15 points and 14 rebounds vs. Cochise and a stellar defensive effort on Eastern Arizona's NJCAA All-American center Marcus Palmer in the finals.
"Eddie's improved a tremendous amount in two years," said Arizona Western Coach Kelly Green. "He was a mainstay on our team and helped lead us to region championships both years. He anchored our defense and was an integral part of our success. We're very happy about his decision and we're looking forward to watching him progress on the 4-year level."
Lima was selected ACCAC athlete of the week on Feb. 4. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Yavapai and followed it up with 10 points and 6 rebounds in a win over Phoenix College.
Lima is a native of Recife, Brazil. The port city in northeastern Brazil is the ninth largest city in the nation with a population of about 1.5 million.
Fullerton needs to replace 6-foot-7 senior center Justin Burns, who averaged 10.5 points and 6.7 rebounds last year.