South Carolina Basketball: Incoming freshman named Player of the Year

South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley is bringing an elite recruiting class to Columbia once again. The favorites to win the national championship have the chance to be even better next season, and the three 5-stars joining the program are a big reason why.

Joyce Edwards, Maddy McDaniel, and Adhel Tac (who has already enrolled at the University of South Carolina to rehab an injury) are set to compete for playing time on a national title-contending team next season, and the trio of future stars have racked up a lot of awards as their high school careers have come to a close.

The most recent accolade for the group comes from McDaniel as the talented guard was named the MaxPreps Player of the Year for the basketball-rich state of Maryland. This is the second year in a row that McDaniel was honored by MaxPreps as the Maryland Player of the Year. She was also a McDonald's All-American this season.

As a senior, McDaniel averaged 18 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals for her Bishop McNamara squad. She played point guard and shooting guard for the Mustangs and guided her team on a run through the Maryland state basketball playoffs until a knee injury ended her time on the court short of the state championship.

Little has come to light about McDaniel's injury, so it remains to be seen if she will be ready for practice this summer when she enrolls at USC. Regardless, McDaniel will have the opportunity to develop before being forced into action as the 2024-2025 Gamecocks will still have guards Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson, MiLaysia Fulwiley, and Tessa Johnson on the roster.

Learning from those guards (and Hall of Famer Dawn Staley) will allow her to develop into the best version of herself on the court.