Recruit makes South Carolina basketball history before stepping foot on court

Joyce Edwards has already entered the South Carolina women’s basketball history books before suiting up for her first competitive game. This week, the Gamecocks gave the highly touted recruit the No. 8 jersey, which had never before been worn by anyone in the program.

Edwards, a consensus top-three prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, wore No. 12 in high school but couldn’t obtain the same number at South Carolina, with sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley already using it. So, she’s taken a new course that will set her apart from her Gamecocks predecessors.

Head coach Dawn Staley has high hopes for Edwards, though she may limit the forward to a part-time role during the 18-year-old’s first campaign in Columbia. South Carolina’s depth will make it difficult for any of its new players to see the floor more than about 20 minutes per contest; none of the school’s talented freshmen surpassed that threshold in 2023-24.

READ MORE: Dawn Staley’s top recruit had incredible GPA in high school with South Carolina career up next
READ MORE: MiLaysia Fulwiley made Dawn Staley laugh yet impressed South Carolina coach with lineup pledge

Eventually, however, South Carolina fans expect Edwards to become one of the faces of the program, following in the footsteps of post stars such as A’ja Wilson and Kamilla Cardoso. Edwards doesn’t mind waiting for her opportunity to arise.

“The older I got, the more I realized I wanted to be in an environment like that because iron sharpens iron,” Edwards told The Athletic. “And the competition that you get in practice, playing with all those great players, it’s just going to make you better.”

Elsewhere on the 2024-25 South Carolina roster, freshmen Adhel Tac (No. 15) and Madisen McDaniel (No. 1) have also selected their numbers as they begin offseason training ahead of their college basketball careers.

READ MORE: UConn star Ashlynn Shade has clear plan to avoid being forgotten by Geno Auriemma

According to HoopGurlz, Tac is the 28th-best recruit in the nation of the 2024 class, and McDaniel is the 14th-best. Staley also tried to sign top-overall prospect Sarah Strong, but Strong ultimately chose to attend UConn instead.

South Carolina will compete in a revamped SEC next season. Texas and Oklahoma, two formidable teams, will join the conference. Kentucky boasts its best roster on paper in recent memory after new head coach Kenny Brooks added Georgia Amoore and others in the transfer portal.

As usual, LSU and Tennessee could remain challenges to South Carolina’s conference superiority, though the latter institution went through a coaching change following a swift NCAA Tournament exit. Kellie Harper’s ouster from Tennessee underlined how ruthless life in the SEC can be amid sky-high expectations.

But Edwards seems ready to take on the pressure of playing basketball in a region rich with history, having recently won a gold medal at the FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup. She also recorded a phenomenal 5.08 high school GPA that will make her an honors student at South Carolina. Edwards plans to study environmental sciences.