South Carolina Basketball: Elite 5-star local talent joining Gamecocks

South Carolina basketball fans have had a nice start to the 2023-2024 season. Dawn Staley’s squad has been the best team in the country so far, and Lamont Paris’ men’s team is 3-0 and looks as if they can be a competitive team in the SEC this season.

On Wednesday, the early-season good vibes had a chance to get even better.

Earlier this week, 5-star recruit and national 2nd-ranked prospect Joyce Edwards announced that she would be committing on Wednesday. The Camden, South Carolina native announced a top-3 of South Carolina, LSU, and Clemson on Monday and revealed she would be committing two days later.

In the hours leading up to Edwards’ commitment, speculation ran wild about where she would end up, but in the end, she made the decision that most were expecting.

It is not hyperbolic to say that Joyce Edwards could be a generational talent. She has the best defensive tools in the 2024 class, and at 6’3″, she can use those tools to guard any player on the floor. She can also put the ball in the basket, operating as a three-level scorer who has plus athleticism and enough ballhandling ability to use the dribble-drive game well, too.

Edwards is special enough that trying to peg her down as a natural fit at one position undersells what she can do on the court. She has the potential to be a dominant player at either small forward or power forward, but she could also play center minutes in smaller lineups and is skilled enough to fill in as a ballhandling perimeter player if needed.

With Edwards’ public commitment to Coach Staley and the Gamecocks, South Carolina basketball has secured one of the country’s top recruiting classes.

It is unclear if the Gamecocks are completely done in the ’24 cycle. There are 11 current Gamecocks on scholarship, but only Kamilla Cardoso is completely out of eligibility (though, Te-Hina Paopao and Sakima Walker are in their 4th year of collegiate competition). If only Cardoso leaves this offseason, the three incoming USC freshmen would fill the 13-scholarship roster.

With an announcement also coming later this evening from 2025 4-star guard Eli Ellis (who is deciding between South Carolina, Mississippi State, VCU, College of Charleston, and Virginia Tech), South Carolina basketball fans could be in line for a night full of celebrating just how bright the future might be on the hardwood.

Edwards is expected to sign her paperwork immediately to join 5-stars Madisen McDaniel and Adhel Tac as official members of the Gamecock class of 2024.

You can watch some of her film here.