South Carolina Basketball: Incoming Gamecocks to play with Team USA

South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley has a top-3 national recruiting class coming to Columbia this offseason. One of the team's three commitments (5-star post player Adhel Tac) already has enrolled at the University of South Carolina. The other two have racked up a tremendous number of honors and accolades as they finished up their high school careers.

5-star forward Joyce Edwards (a winner of multiple National Player of the Year awards) and 5-star guard Maddy McDaniels (a fellow McDonald's All-American with Edwards) will share another honor as both were invited this week to be a part of Team USA's U-18 National Team trials ahead of the 2024 U-18 FIBA AmeriCup.

The trials will begin on May 15th, and the 26-player group (12 from the high school class of 2024 and 14 from the class of 2025) will be trimmed to 12 before the U-18 National Team training camp begins in June. The U-18 AmeriCup will be held in Bucaramanga, Colombia from June 17th-23rd.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tori Moren will be the team's head coach, and South Florida Bulls coach Jose Fernandez and Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Niele Ivey will serve as assistants. Vanderbilt Commodores coach Shea Ralph and Cal Golden Bears coach Charmin Smith will be additional assistants during the trials.

Edwards has been playing in just about every all-star game and showcase imaginable since her high school career ended with a state championship in March. She won MVP honors at the McDonald's All-American Game, the Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit. McDaniel, who also was a McDonald's All-American, did not participate due to a knee injury. It is unclear how her knee may affect her status with Team USA this summer.

8 teams will participate in this summer's U-18 AmeriCup, and Team USA will play in a group with Team Brazil, Team Mexico, and Team Puerto Rico.

Team USA has won ten straight gold medals in the U-18 AmeriCup. The top-4 teams in this year's tournament will automatically qualify for the U-19 World Cup next year.