South Carolina Basketball: Joyce Edwards wins yet another national award

At this point, there simply is not a mantle big enough to hold all of Joyce Edwards' trophies and awards. Despite there being many highly-touted players to come through the South Carolina basketball program, the gem of the 2024 recruiting class will walk onto campus in Columbia as the only women's basketball player whose high school accolades could rival those of the legendary A'ja Wilson. On Wednesday, she added one more award to her collection.

MaxPreps, an outlet that already named Joyce Edwards as their High School Girls Basketball National Player of the Year, announced that Edwards also was selected as the MaxPreps Female National Athlete of the Year. This is the second year in a row Edwards has been honored with the award, making her just the third athlete ever to win the award twice.

Edwards has won three different National Player of the Year honors in high school girls basketball (MaxPreps, Gatorade, and Morgan Wooten), virtually every Palmetto State Player of the Year award, the MVP trophy at three different national showcases (McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit), and the last two state titles in South Carolina.

In other words, Joyce Edwards is special.

The three-sport superstar will join Dawn Staley's program this summer and is a candidate for serious playing time even on a loaded roster. She can play any frontcourt position, has unlimited defensive potential, and has developed into a big-time offensive threat, as well. Her size (listed at 6'2") and elite ahtleticism will be weapons for Coach Staley's disposal, and she has a chance to become a legend before her career is over.

Edwards' first game with the South Carolina basketball program will be out in Las Vegas in T-Mobile Arena on November 4th. The Gamecocks will begin their National Championship defense against the Michigan Wolverines as part of the Hall of Fame Series, and USC fans will get their first glimpse of Edwards in garnet and black.