South Carolina Basketball: Gamecocks hosting No. 2 player in the country this weekend

South Carolina basketball target Joyce Edwards blocking a shot in last year's state championship game. Mandatory Credit: Syndication: The Greenville News
South Carolina basketball target Joyce Edwards blocking a shot in last year's state championship game. Mandatory Credit: Syndication: The Greenville News

South Carolina basketball is hoping for a commitment from top-40 player Adhel Tac this Friday. The 6’5″ center is deciding between South Carolina, Georgia, Louisville, and North Carolina.

That doesn’t end the recruiting news for Dawn Staley and her program this weekend.

Joyce Edwards, a Camden, South Carolina native, is set to be on campus again. Edwards is the 2nd-best player in the class of 2024 according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz Top-100 (and she peaked as high as #1), and she is believed to be close to making her college decision.

Edwards is considered a Gamecock lean but has visited some of the other top programs in the country. LSU, Stanford, and Texas A&M are among the other suitors for Edwards, but the Gamecocks are hoping to seal the deal with the hometown kid this weekend.

As a player, Joyce Edwards is an athletic combo forward who can do just about everything on the basketball court. She can score from all three levels, and she can put the ball in the basketball off-the-dribble, a rare ability for non-guards at the high school level.

Edwards, at 6’2″, is capable of playing down low if needed, but she is skilled enough as a ball-handler and shooter to play on the perimeter. Her versatility would allow her to play in any type of lineup, something that would be a big deal as the Gamecocks have a lot of future talent at guard but need some frontcourt/wing help. Edwards can provide production anywhere but point guard.

So far in the class of 2024, the Gamecocks have 5-star guard Madisen McDaniel committed, and if Tac chooses the South Carolina basketball program, she will be the second pledge in the class. Pulling in a group of McDaniel, Tac, and Edwards would be yet another elite class for head coach Dawn Staley, and the Gamecocks are in on even more talent, as well.

Edwards has not yet announced when she will make any public decisions with her recruitment.

You can watch some of her film here.

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