Dawn Staley believes Joyce Edwards can be 'the best player in college basketball one day'

Nearly everyone in the women’s college basketball world knows South Carolina’s roster embodies two attributes – quality and depth – that few others in the sport possess. Kim Mulkey was reminded of that fact on Friday during LSU’s 66-56 loss to the Gamecocks, the Tigers’ first defeat of the 2024-25 campaign.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever coached against a team that’s got 10 McDonald’s All-Americans on a roster,” Mulkey said. “How do you even keep 10 on a roster?”

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Many McDonald’s All-Americans from years past have experienced tremendous success while at South Carolina. A’ja Wilson, a high school All-American in 2014, went on to make three AP All-America First Teams and four All-SEC First Teams before becoming a No. 1 overall WNBA Draft selection. Aliyah Boston, a high school All-American in 2019, met the same fate after a decorated collegiate career that included two national championships and four Lisa Leslie Awards, among other honors.

Both Wilson and Boston are now carving out careers in the professional ranks. It is likely that many more current and future Gamecocks will one day join them in the WNBA.

But there’s still plenty of McDonald’s All-American talent to go around on South Carolina’s current roster. And Dawn Staley believes Joyce Edwards, who participated in last year’s elite high-school event, has the potential to carry the torch Wilson and Boston once bore as the top individual player in the sport.

“Joyce is going to be the best player in college basketball one day,” Staley said. “I say that only because of her work ethic, and her intellect, and her want.”

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Hype and high expectations surrounded Edwards well before she took the court in a garnet and black jersey for the first time. Her varsity high school basketball career at Camden High School spanned six years. At the end of four of those seasons, she was named the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association 3A Player of the Year.

Edwards’ recognitions have extended beyond the borders of both the Palmetto State and the United States, too. Following the 2023-24 campaign, she earned one of the most prestigious honors in high school sports by being named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. She has also represented USA Basketball on two occasions, winning gold medals at the FIBA U-19 World Cup in 2023 and the FIBA U-18 AmeriCup one year later.

Her ESPN HoopGurlz Recruiting Ranking – No. 3 in the class of 2024 – served as an indicator of her developmental potential and ability to contribute right away. The latter has been on full display in Edwards’ debut campaign with the Gamecocks.

Despite averaging just over 20 minutes per game, the fifth-highest total on the team, she leads South Carolina in scoring (12.2 points per game), in addition to collecting 4.8 rebounds per contest. The production, energy and two-way presence Edward provides has proven to be beneficial to the team, Staley said.

“Joyce injects what we need,” Staley said. “She plays with huge bravado on both sides of the basketball; she believes, if she’s got a smaller person on her, or a bigger person, that she’s going to score. She defends like she’s unafraid.”

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Edwards has also recorded many of her strongest individual performances in recent matchups against conference opponents. In addition to being named SEC Freshman of the Week two weeks in a row, she has scored in double figures in her last six games.

Staley credits this uptick in production to Edwards’ high basketball IQ.

“She plays the right way. She makes good basketball decisions,” Staley said. “That’s why she’s able to be as efficient as she’s been over the past couple of games.”

Staley understands that Edwards’ college basketball career is just 20 games long at this point. But Staley maintains a strong belief in what Edwards is capable of, going as far as comparing her work ethic to that of Boston when she played at South Carolina.

“She’s highly motivated. I don’t know if that’s what she wants to do, but she’s very Aliyah-like when it comes to what she pours into her game,” Staley said. “A lot of times, basketball will pay you, and it’s such a way that you become the best player in the country.”

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