Joyce Edwards’ ascent apparent in USC’s win over Auburn. Consider A’ja Wilson a fan
After South Carolina beat LSU two weeks ago, Dawn Staley made a bold prediction: Joyce Edwards will be the best player in college basketball one day.
“I say that only because of her work ethic, and her intellect and her wants,” Staley said. “She’s highly motivated. I don’t know if that’s what she wants to do, but she’s very Aliyah (Boston)-like when it comes to what she pours into her game. So a lot of times, basketball will repay you in such a way that you become the best player in the country.”
Since that comment, Edwards has only gotten better.
The freshman led No. 2 South Carolina with 18 points on Sunday in an 83-66 win over Auburn. It’s the fifth game in a row Edwards has led the Gamecocks in scoring and the 10th time she’s done so this season.
“I really don’t go out there necessarily looking to score,” Edwards said. “I just give them what the defense gives me. It’s just basketball at the end of the day. Whatever look you get, you know what you’re supposed to do. There’s an action and a reaction. That’s all it is.”
Edwards’ scoring seems almost effortless at times, and she leads the Gamecocks with 16 double-digit games this season. She’s provided a punch off the bench for South Carolina and leads the team in scoring, averaging of 12.4 points per game.
“A lot of times, Joyce puts herself in a position to where it’s quite natural for her to shoot it,” Staley said. “Or she puts herself in a position where she gets the ball to the paint. She’s got two-move capability. She plays basketball the right way. When you play it the right way, it looks easy, because it is easy. She’s playing incredibly well at a really good pace, where she’s seeing it, and she’s able to make really good decisions.”
Edwards has faced the challenge of SEC defenses head-on since conference play started last month. She’s averaging 15.1 points per game in South Carolina’s nine SEC contests.
Earlier this week South Carolina legend A’ja Wilson sang praises of Edwards’ abilities on the court. Wilson said she sees some of herself in Edwards, adding there’s no one better to mold her than Staley.
“Her IQ is something that’s going to take her far,” Wilson said. “I think she is already becoming a pro at a young age of a freshman. And obviously she’s going to have her ups and downs, and sometimes she’s gonna hit the freshman wall, but just the patience and the IQ that she plays with is crazy.”
Wilson said Edwards’ ability to read defenses is advanced and something that isn’t typically found until players hit the pros.
Edwards’ 18-point performance on Sunday was well-timed given Wilson was in the building after having her jersey retired before the game. Edwards smiled ear-to-ear in the post-game press conference when talking about how much she looks up to Wilson and attempts to emulate her game. Playing the way she did in front of a basketball legend was icing on the cake for the freshman.
“It was an honor we did that in front of her,” Edwards said. “She literally paved the way for us to be here. So I kind of feel like it was a little bit of a full-circle moment for her too, because she was watching what she built, what she created. So just as much as I’m honored to play in front of her, I feel like she was just honored to watch us play.”
After the Auburn win Staley said that the National Freshman of the Year award race shouldn’t be decided already and that Edwards should receive consideration.
“What she’s been able to do in the type of schedule that we have, it’s not easy,” Staley said. “So I just don’t want people to forget what Joyce is doing over here. We’re not going to just allow awards to be given out with no consideration for our players here. For doing it the right way, for playing the schedule that we play, and for having a team that we have. You can find some really good players on our team to recognize.”
