When Joyce Edwards stepped onto the court for her South Carolina debut on  15th October 2024, she didn’t just play, but she made a statement by helping the Gamecocks clinch a massive victory over the Memphis Tigers (106-63). It was a sight to behold as the freshman phenom dominated the game, scoring 19 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Her performance was a testament to her unique combination of power and finesse, cementing her position as the second-best player in the 2024 class.

Dawn Staley’s newest star didn’t just live up to the hype, but she also took the expectations and dunked them through the roof! Edwards was also considered a five-star recruit by ESPN and last year she signed a letter of intent to play at South Carolina; which paved the path for her glory. However, has her performance been the same throughout the years? Let’s find out!

Breaking down Joyce Edwards’ athletic career

The young forward hails from Camden, South Carolina. At Camden High School. The 17-year-old rewrote the record books before wearing the Gamecocks garnet and black in South Carolina. In her freshman year, she averaged 26 PPG, 14.6 RPG, and 4.6 APG. She averaged 23.8 points per game in the field on 29 percent from the field, and 12.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in her sophomore campaign. In her junior year, she averaged 28.5 PPG, 13.6 RPG, and 2.9 APG. However, she finally averaged 31.3 PPG, 13.3 RPG, and 4.0 APG in her senior year. During her senior year, she also led Camden to their 2nd consecutive 3A State championship.

In the shadow of Hall of Fame coach Dawn Staley, Edwards is poised to grow exponentially. Given Staley’s history of transforming unruly prospects into franchise cornerstones like A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston, Edwards could be the next chosen one to lead the torch of South Carolina basketball excellence. “Joyce has been unofficially a gamecock for a long time. She made it official in the fall. It’s important for her to get minutes, it’s important for her to get experience, it’s important for her to play multiple positions, it’s important for her to see the type of impact that we know she’s going to make not only in our program but in her game of women’s basketball. We need players like Joyce for our future to be as bright as it’s going to be,” said Staley after Edward’s debut match.

Surprisingly, Edwards wouldn’t have such a powerful debut because South Carolina didn’t have the subject ‘environmental engineering’ as a subject major, but all thanks to coach Staley this was made possible at the last moment. “Originally I wasn’t gonna go to South Carolina. They didn’t have my major but she [Dawn Staley] figured out ways through the Honors program where I can get the both, both experience through my academics and athletics and I just showed how hard hard she worked just to not give up,” said Edwards.

 

Edwards has already landed significant NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) opportunities since being hailed as one of the most highly touted recruits in South Carolina history. But her NIL deal has not been made public yet. But it can be said her social media presence (16k+ followers on Instagram and 5.8k followers on X), combined with her on-court excellence, has positioned her as a marketable athlete in the rapidly growing women’s basketball landscape.

It’s the beginning of the Joyce Edwards era in South Carolina, but there are some early returns and they suggest something special is in the works. At only 17 years old, Edwards possesses such a unique skill set, is so marketable, and has so much room to grow that she isn’t just another talented freshman; she’s potentially the next face of women’s college basketball. But what accolades does she have?

Joyce Edwards and her list of accolades

The freshman sensation of the North Carolina Gamecocks has already started making her name by helping her team win by a huge margin in her debut match. “Joyce is going to be very impactful. I think she’ll win SEC Freshman of the Year if she keeps doing what she’s doing, keeps wanting to be a sponge and learn. Joyce, I mean, a double-double in her first game, a debut, that is crazy. And she didn’t even realize it,” said Raven Johnson, a junior point guard at South Carolina. However, before her college days, the young forward had already made her name.

In high school only she was a five-time MVP winner in tournaments like the McDonald’s All-American Girls Game and Nike Hoop Summit. Her ability to score efficiently, rebound effectively, and contribute defensively clinched her the title of the 2023-24 Gatorade Player of the Year and ultimately she was selected as the FIBA under-18 Women’s AmeriCup MVP.

She helped Team USA win two gold medals, one in the FIBA Under-19 World Cup and another one in the FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup. Also, over her four years at Camden High, she scored a total of 3035 points and 1471 rebounds. From her recent performance with the Gamecocks, it can be speculated that her future is bright, and it will be exciting to watch her career unfold in the coming years.