Joyce Edwards hasn’t even suited up for the South Carolina Gamecocks but, however she already is aware of what she needs to attain on the subsequent degree. The Camden (SC) Excessive College star—and the No. 2-ranked participant within the class of 2024—is a flexible, 6-2 ahead who can knock down pictures, end on the rim, block pictures on the defensive finish and put up massive time numbers. Within the state championship recreation, she had a monster double-double of 27 factors and 20 rebounds, in addition to 6 blocks, to assist lead the Bulldogs to their second consecutive 3-A state title.
However for Edwards, that is only the start.
“After I go to South Carolina, my predominant objective is to only get on the ground, be a defensive participant—as a result of you’ll be able to’t get on the ground with out protection—after which sculpting my offense to be what the group wants,” she says. “I’m not coming in trying to be, like, the star participant and none of that. I’m simply attempting to come back in and do what the group wants and match into my position.”
She’s set to hitch a program that’s synonymous with successful. By the point we go to press, South Carolina has simply posted back-to-back undefeated common seasons, received its second SEC Match championship in a row, and is gearing up for March Insanity because the No. 1 seed. It’s that status—in addition to the legacy of Daybreak Staley, now in her sixteenth season since taking up this system in ’08—that led Edwards to decide to the Gamecocks within the first place. After narrowing down her prime three faculties to SC, LSU and Clemson, Edwards was considering signing later within the signing interval, and it was Daybreak who she felt really revered her resolution.
“The way in which Daybreak responded was fully completely different from all people else. She was like, OK, why do you are feeling this manner? I really feel prefer it was actually simply the teaching. What Daybreak stated simply hit me a bit bit completely different than each different coach.”
Over time, Daybreak has molded future WNBA legends, from the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Yr Aliyah Boston to A’ja Wilson, a two-time WNBA champion and the 2023 Finals MVP, whom Edwards had an opportunity to fulfill when South Carolina beat Maryland this previous November. Wilson even gave her some recommendation.
“[She] was speaking about how when she got here into South Carolina, they usually had her beginning,” Edwards remembers of their dialog, “and she or he got here out the following recreation and did no matter she needed to do. I really feel like her transition from being extra of a task participant at SC to her having to be that extra dominant participant within the paint and take them to the nationwide championship. Simply the entire course of and her mentality all through and the development she had by means of that, that’s one of many greatest issues that I took away from it.”
Edwards sees similarities of their video games, too, and says her dad typically compares her to Wilson. “Clearly, she’s left-handed, however she has the middy within the bag. She will be able to drive, she will be able to face up, she posts up. All these issues that she does—clearly, I’m not doing it [at] as excessive a degree as her—however I’m doing lots of related issues at my age.”
As she wraps up her senior 12 months at Camden—Edwards additionally performs soccer, which she says has helped together with her conditioning and footwork on the court docket—she’s already wanting ahead to the alternatives that await simply 40 minutes away in Columbia.
“I really feel like for some gamers, it may undoubtedly be intimidating,” she says. “However then I simply keep in mind that I play my finest after I’m going towards and taking part in with nice gamers in observe and stuff like that. I really feel like at South Carolina, with the competitors I’ll be taking part in towards in observe, like, these are WNBA legends. These persons are about to go to the League and do nice issues. Going up towards them in observe will simply make me higher, and hopefully after I present up in a recreation, I feel I’ll be actually ready.”
Deyscha Smith is an Affiliate Editor at SLAM. Observe her on Instagram and X, @deyschasmith.
Portraits by Kai McNeil. Observe him on Instagram, @thekaimac.
