| No. 8 – South Carolina Gamecocks | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Southeastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (2006-01-30) January 30, 2006 (age 18) Camden, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school |
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| College | South Carolina (2024–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Joyce Edwards (born January 30, 2006) is an American college basketball player for South Carolina. She attended Camden High School and was a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class.
High school career
Edwards attended Camden High School. During her junior year she averaged 28.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.9 assists and led Camden to the 3A state championship. Following the season she was named South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
During her senior year she averaged 31.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.5 steals, 3.3 blocks and four assists per game and led Camden to their second consecutive 3A state championship. Following the season she was named South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and Gatorade National Player of the Year. She was also named Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year.
Edwards played in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, where she scored a game-high 19 points and was named co-MVP along with Sarah Strong. She competed at the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit, where she led Team USA with 25 points, nine rebounds, and five steals. She scored 17 points in the second half, helping lead team USA to a comeback victory over the world team. She then competed at the 2024 Jordan Brand Classic, where she scored a game-high 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists, six steals and two blocks, and was named MVP.
Recruiting
Edwards was considered a five-star recruit and the number two player in the 2024 class, according to ESPN. On November 15, 2023, she signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play college basketball at South Carolina, over offers from LSU and Clemson. She was the highest-rated player from South Carolina since A'ja Wilson was No. 1 in 2014.
National team career
Edwards represented the United States at the 2023 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup, where she was the youngest member on the roster. During the tournament she averaged 12.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in seven games. She was named to the all-tournament team after helping the United States win a gold medal.
On May 19, 2024, Edwards was named to team USA's roster for the 2024 FIBA Under-18 Women's AmeriCup. During the tournament she led team USA in scoring, and ranked fourth overall in the tournament, with 14.2 points per game. She also averaged 7.2 rebounds and 2 steals in six games. During the final against Canada she recorded 16 points, a team-high 13 rebounds and five steals for her second double-double of the tournament to help the United States win a gold medal. She was subsequently named tournament MVP.
References
- Bezjak, Lou (March 8, 2023). "Camden standout, Gamecocks target earns SC's top girls basketball honor for 2023". The State. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- "Gamecock Signee Edwards Gatorade National Player of the Year". gamecocksonline.com. March 28, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- Titus, Payton (March 14, 2024). "Joyce Edwards wins SC Gatorade Player of the Year, named finalist for national award". The State. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- Gerike, Evan (March 28, 2024). "Joyce Edwards, South Carolina women's basketball signee, wins national Gatorade Player of the Year award". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- "McDonald's All American Games Selects Joyce Edwards and Dylan Harper as the 2024 Morgan Wootten National Players of the Year". prnewswire.com. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- Bezjak, Lou (April 2, 2024). "South Carolina signee Joyce Edwards ready for McDonald's All-American game moment". The Herald. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- "Top recruits Sarah Strong, Joyce Edwards lead East over West in McDonald's girls' basketball game". Beloit Daily News. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- Williams, Aaron (April 2, 2024). "Joyce Edwards leading East to victory with 19 among five takeaways from McDonald's All American Game". MaxPreps. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- "FIBA youth stars light it up in thrilling Women's Nike Hoop Summit 2024 contest". fiba.basketball. April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- Gross-Whitaker, Josie (April 19, 2024). "Joyce Edwards Wants to Keep Improving". usab.com. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- Miller, Kevin (April 22, 2024). "South Carolina Basketball: Gamecock signee wins ANOTHER all-star game MVP". garnetandcocky.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- Adams, Emily (November 15, 2023). "No. 2 prospect Joyce Edwards commits to South Carolina basketball over LSU, Clemson". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- Diaz, Cory (November 15, 2023). "Prized LSU women's basketball 2024 recruit Joyce Edwards commits to South Carolina". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- Adams, Emily (November 9, 2023). "What Dawn Staley said about South Carolina women's basketball signing Maddy McDaniel, Adhel Tac". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- "USA Basketball Women's U19 National Team Announced". usab.com. May 15, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- "Joyce Edwards". usab.com. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- "Lanie Grant and Joyce Edwards Have Had a Golden Year and They're Just Getting Started". usab.com. August 11, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- "Joyce Edwards Named to USA U18 National Team". gamecocksonline.com. May 19, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- "Edwards Leads U.S. to FIBA U18 AmeriCup Gold". gamecocksonline.com. June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.