She’s a Gamecock! Joyce Edwards, No. 2 prospect in 2024 class, picks South Carolina
Camden High School’s Joyce Edwards is staying home.
Edwards, the No. 2 class of 2024 prospect in the nation, announced her commitment to South Carolina women’s basketball Wednesday in a ceremony at Camden High.
She picked South Carolina over Clemson and LSU, with USC confirming her signing as being official shortly after her public reveal.
Edwards had three hats of her final schools on the table. When she grabbed the USC hat, a raucous roar was let out by the large crowd, which included Gamecocks player Chloe Kitts, inside Camden’s gymnasium.
“I’m very comfortable in my decision,” Edwards said. “It’s been a very hard process but I thought through it thoroughly. I had a lot of time to decide, and I feel like South Carolina was the best hope for me athletically and academically.”
Edwards touted the school’s environmental engineering program as factoring into her decision for the Gamecocks as well as USC being “a winning basketball program coached by a hall of fame coach.”
She is the third Class of 2024 signee for coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks. Staley started recruiting Edwards when she was still in the eighth grade, and USC was her first Power 5 offer.
“My top three schools all were the whole package for me, but I knew I wanted to win as many national championships as possible and I think Dawn could me to that level. Her coaching and her reliability also will push me there,” she said.
Edwards joins fellow five-stars Maddy McDaniel (No. 12 prospect) and Adhel Tac (No. 26), who both signed their national letters of intent last week.
“Joyce is an incredibly blessed athlete that has transcended three high school sports,” Staley said through a school statement. “As she begins her college career with her focus on basketball, look for her to excel on this platform. She is gifted with size, speed, skill and an uncommon feel for the game. Her intelligence on the court and in the classroom will not be denied. We cannot wait to begin our journey with this young woman.”
Edwards, a 6-foot-2 senior, is the state of South Carolina’s reigning Gatorade Player of the Year. She was also named USA Today High School Sports National Girls Athlete of the Year and 2022-23 MaxPreps Female National Athlete of the Year. As a junior at Camden, Edwards averaged 28.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.
She led Camden to it first state title since 1982 last season and eclipsed 3,000 career points. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 preseason team in Class 3A this year.
Edwards said she knew she’d commit early to USC on Sunday after attending the Gamecocks game against Maryland. She told Staley about her decision afterward, which Edwards said was the first time she said it out loud.
The crowd at South Carolina’s 114-76 victory over then-No. 14 Maryland Sunday broke out in chants of, “We want Joyce!” Edwards attended the game and announced her commitment date the next day.
She recently won gold in the Under-19 World Cup with Team USA and current Gamecock Chloe Kitts. Edwards — the youngest player on the roster — was the squad’s leading scorer for the tournament, averaging 12.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
In addition to a stellar basketball career, Edwards has earned all-state honors in soccer and volleyball.
She joins former five-stars MiLaysia Fulwiley and Ashlyn Watkins as the Gamecocks’ most recent in-state, high-profile commitments.
South Carolina women’s basketball class of 2024:
Aug. 12: PG Maddy McDaniel – Upper Marlboro, Md.
Oct. 27: Post Adhel Tac – Grand Prairie, Tx.
Nov. 15: F Joyce Edwards – Camden, S.C.
This story was originally published November 15, 2023 at 5:52 PM.
