# Joyce Edwards

Joyce Edwards (born January 30, 2006) is an American college basketball player for South Carolina. She attended Camden High School and was a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class.

## High school career

Edwards attended Camden High School. During her junior year she averaged 28.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.9 assists and led Camden to the 3A state championship. Following the season she was named South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
During her senior year she averaged 31.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.5 steals, 3.3 blocks and four assists per game and led Camden to their second consecutive 3A state championship. Following the season she was named South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and Gatorade National Player of the Year. She was also named Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year.
Edwards played in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Girls Game, where she scored a game-high 19 points and was named co-MVP along with Sarah Strong. She competed at the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit, where she led Team USA with 25 points, nine rebounds, and five steals. She scored 17 points in the second half, helping lead team USA to a comeback victory over the world team. She then competed at the 2024 Jordan Brand Classic, where she scored a game-high 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists, six steals and two blocks, and was named MVP.

### Recruiting

Edwards was considered a five-star recruit and the number two player in the 2024 class, according to ESPN. On November 15, 2023, she signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play college basketball at South Carolina, over offers from LSU and Clemson. She was the highest-rated player from South Carolina since A'ja Wilson was No. 1 in 2014.

## College career

On November 28, 2024, against Iowa State, Edwards scored 13 points and 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. She was subsequently named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the week ending December 3, 2024. During her freshman year, she led South Carolina in scoring, and averaged 13.0 points per game in conference play. Her .558 field goal percentage ranked fourth in the SEC. She was the Gamecocks' leading scorer in a team-high 13 games, including seven against ranked opponents. Following the season she earned first-team All-SEC and SEC all-freshman team honors. She became the third Gamecock freshman to earn first-team All-SEC honors, following A'ja Wilson in 2015 and Aliyah Boston in 2020.

## National team career

Edwards represented the United States at the 2023 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup, where she was the youngest member on the roster. During the tournament she averaged 12.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in seven games. She was named to the all-tournament team after helping the United States win a gold medal.
On May 19, 2024, Edwards was named to team USA's roster for the 2024 FIBA Under-18 Women's AmeriCup. During the tournament she led team USA in scoring, and ranked fourth overall in the tournament, with 14.2 points per game. She also averaged 7.2 rebounds and 2 steals in six games. During the final against Canada she recorded 16 points, a team-high 13 rebounds and five steals for her second double-double of the tournament to help the United States win a gold medal. She was subsequently named tournament MVP.