South Carolina women's basketball: New Gamecocks get their numbers
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South Carolina’s newcomers got their jersey numbers this week and one player will establish a program first.
Joyce Edwards has won every award possible, to the point where Camden High made up a new award (The Order of the Bulldog) to give to her. Edwards is the first player in program history to don the number 8. She is also the first player in program history to wear a digit higher than five.
Previously, NCAA rules did not allow uniform numbers to include a digit higher than five. The rule was in place to help officials signal fouls to the official scorer – players could wear any combination of two digits from 0 to 5. That rule was lifted last season, but nobody took advantage.
Edwards wore 12 in high school and with USA Basketball (and wore 13 when 12 wasn’t available). But MiLaysia Fulwiley already has 12 (she wore 23 in high school but had to change because Bree Hall already had it) and 13 is retired for Martha Parker.
So Edwards has opted to go with 8. Incidentally, graduate transfer guard Jamarii Thomas is listed as 6 on the men’s roster, and he will be the first men’s player to wear a number greater than five.
Freshman point guard Madisen McDaniel will wear 1, the same number she wore in high school. She is the fifth player in program history to wear that number, and the first since Zia Cooke (2019-23)
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Freshman post Adhel Tac has 15. It is the same number she wore in high school and the number she was assigned when she enrolled last January, although she never actually wore it. Tac is the seventh player to wear 15, worn most recently by Laeticia Amihere (2019-2023).
Transfer forward Maryam Dauda will wear 30, the same number she wore in high school and at Arkansas. Dauda is the tenth player in program history to wear the number and the first since Pamela Decheva in 2012.
All of the returning players are staying with the same numbers they wore last season. That is only notable for Raven Johnson because she wears 25, and the 25 jersey was retired for Tiffany Mitchell last season.
(Originally, South Carolina retired numbers – Martha Parker’s 13, Shannon Johnson’s 14, and Sheila Foster’s 53 are each retired – which means takes the number out of circulation. But the athletics department switched to retiring jerseys, which means the number can still be worn. South Carolina has also unofficially retired A’ja Wilson’s 22 and Aliyah Boston’s 4.)
Last fall, Johnson asked Dawn Staley whether she was still allowed to wear 25, and Staley told her they would decide after the season. It had happened before: Ieasia Walker was wearing 14 when Johnson’s number was retired. She switched to 3 and then 2 to finish her career.
“I asked Coach, ‘What do I do?’” Johnson said. “My number is the number this year and next year, we’ll figure it out. I didn’t think a number defines me.”
Mitchell gave her conditional approval for Johnson to wear 25, the same number she wore in high school.
“I said, look, if you’re going to wear the 25, you’re gonna have to wear it with some pride and know who was wearing it before you,” Mitchell said.
Johnson’s tournament performance probably met Mitchell’s expectations.
The Gamecocks open the season against Michigan on November 4 in Las Vegas.
