South Carolina Basketball: Incoming Gamecock freshman wins Gatorade National Player of the Year

South Carolina basketball incoming freshman Joyce Edwards is the prize of a star-studded 2024 recruiting class for Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks. As one of three 5-star prospects who signed with USC in the class, Edwards has been ranked as high as #1 in the country in the national recruiting rankings and has proven herself to have an almost limitless ceiling as a player.

Awards have been plentiful for Edwards as she has won multiple state player of the year honors, been selected as an All-American, and won championships in the Palmetto State.

On Thursday, though, news broke that Joyce Edwards was bringing home a new award that holds even more national prominence than the others.

Joyce Edwards is the 2023-2024 Gatorade National Girl's Basketball Player of the Year. Edwards was selected as the award recipient over fellow finalists Kennedy Smith (committed to the Southern Cal Trojans) and Jaloni Cambridge (committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes).

Edwards is the second South Carolina basketball commitment to win the award, joining Saniya Rivers who won the award after the 2021-2022 high school season. Rivers, though, transferred out of the program and wound up at NC State.

Being such a highly touted prospect, Edwards is the type of player who could push for early playing time even on a loaded South Carolina roster. The Gamecocks likely will be losing center Kamilla Cardoso to the WNBA Draft, but prominent rotation players Ashlyn Watkins, Chloe Kitts, and Sania Feagin all return in the post. Even so, Edwards' defensive acumen, versatility, and scoring punch in the post could push her into the rotation even with all of those talented players returning.

For now, though, Edwards' future team is making a run at history and an undefeated, championship season. Only four programs have ever accomplished the feat, but the Gamecocks are the heavy favorite to pull it off this year. Their next game comes in the Sweet Sixteen against the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday at 5:00. The game will be played in Albany, New York and will be broadcast on ESPN.