More Preseason National Honors for Gamecocks

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball continues its presence on national preseason watch lists this week. Sophomore Joyce Edwards and senior Ta’Niya Latson are on the watch lists for the Wade Trophy and the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards. Senior Raven Johnson joins her teammates on the USBWA’s list, and the organization named freshman Agot Makeer to its Tamkia Catchings Award Preseason Watch List.

Edwards was the Gamecocks’ top scorer last season at 12.7 points per game and third in rebounding at 5.0 per outing, and she opened this season with 13 points and five rebounds against Grand Canyon. Her consistent production in her first season yielded All-SEC First-Team and All-America honorable mention honors. Her 57.2 percent field goal shooting ranked second in the SEC, and she set the program’s record for free throw percentage by a freshman (.777). Edwards earned a spot on the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team behind her 11.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in the last weekend of the season. In the offseason, Edwards was part of the United States’ gold medal team at the FIBA AmeriCup, and she also competed for USA Basketball the FIBA 3×3 Nations League Americas Conference 2.

Latson, who made her South Carolina debut Monday with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Grand Canyon, was last season’s top scorer in the nation (25.2 ppg) transferred from Florida State. In addition to her All-America honors, she was a three-time All-ACC First Team selection during her time in Tallahassee. Latson is a career 44.8 percent shooter with a career scoring average of 22.5 points after scoring in double figures in 86 of her 93 career games, including 62 20-point outings, 20 30-point games and a career-high 40 points at Virginia Tech on Jan. 2, 2025.

Johnson has led the Gamecocks from the point guard position each of the last three seasons, which have yielded a 109-5 record that includes three trips to the NCAA Final Four, back-to-back championship game appearances and an undefeated 2024 National Champion season. South Carolina has won the SEC regular-season and tournament championships each of her first three seasons, losing just one SEC game in that stretch. Individually, Johnson’s 410 career assists rank 10^th in program history, and her 166 in SEC play are fifth in the Gamecock record books. Her single-season assist-to-turnover ratio each season account for three entries in the program’s all-time top 10, led by her 3.09 mark in 2023-24 ranking second. In her career she has earned a spot on the 2024 All-SEC Second Team and the 2025 SEC All-Defensive Team.

Makeer signed with the Gamecocks as the No. 6 overall player in the Class of 2025, capping her high school career with McDonald’s All-America honors. She helped lead Montverde to a runner-up finish at the Chipotle High School National Championships and went on to represent Canada in the 2026 U19 World Cup. The Canadians took fourth at the event with Makeer adding 10.3 points, including 46.2 percent 3-point shooting, and 4.9 rebounds per game. In her college debut, she scored five points along with three blocks, two assists and two rebounds.

The Wade Trophy is presented by the WBCA each year to the best player in college women’s basketball. It is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women’s basketball. The WBCA NCAA Div. I Awards Committee will review its watch list midseason to determine if additional players will be added based on their play during the first half of the 2025-26 season. The winner of the award will be announced in April during the 2025 WBCA Convention in Phoenix, site of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

The USBWA presents the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award to its national player of the year and the Tamika Catchings Award to its freshman of the year. At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for each award, who are then voted on by the entire membership. The winner of each award will be announced at the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Phoenix with the formal presentation to follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.

No. 2/2 South Carolina continues its three-game homestand on Fri., Nov. 7, when Bowling Green comes to Colonial Life Arena for a 7 p.m. tipoff that will stream on SEC Network+. The Gamecocks wrap up the season-opening stretch with an in-state showdown with rival Clemson on Tue., Nov. 11, at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for more information on the program.

2025-26 Wade Trophy Watch List
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Madison Booker, Texas
Audi Crooks, Iowa State
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
Azzi Fudd, UConn
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU
Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina
Olivia Miles, TCU
Khamil Pierre, NC State
Sarah Strong, UConn
Serah Williams, UConn

2025-26 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Preseason Watch List
Janiah Barker, Tennessee
Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Madison Booker, Texas
Carla Brito, USF
Zoe Brooks,NC State
Addy Brown, Iowa State
Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee
Audi Crooks, Iowa State
Maggie Doogan, Richmond
Charlise Dunn, Davidson
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
Toby Fournier, Duke
Azzi Fudd, UConn
MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU
Yarden Garzon, Maryland
Delaney Gibb, BYU
Rori Harmon, Texas
Jordan Harrison, West Virginia
Stailee Heard, Oklahoma State
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU
Kymore Johnson, Virginia
Raven Johnson, South Carolina
Reniya Kelly, North Carolina
Gianna Kneepkens, UCLA
Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Baylor
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison
Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss
Olivia Miles, TCU
Oluchi Okananwa, Maryland
Olivia Olson, Michigan
Khamil Pierre, NC State
Sayvia Sellers, Washington
Kaylene Smikle, Maryland
Madison St. Rose, Princeton
Clara Strack, Kentucky
Sarah Strong, UConn
Hannah Stuelke, Iowa
Sayla Swords, Michgan
Allie Turner, Gonzaga
Rachel Ullstrom, Richmond
Grace VanSlooten, Michigan State
Riley Weiss, Columbia
Mikaylah Williams, LSU
Laura Ziegler, Louisville

2025-26 Tamika Catchings Award Preseason Watch List
Dee Alexander, Cincinnati
Sienna Betts, UCLA
Nyla Brooks, North Carolina
Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma
Alliyah Crump, Texas
Jazzy Davidson, Southern Cal
Addie Deal, Iowa
Ines Garcia, Davidson
Lena Girardi, Oklahoma State
Grace Knox, LSU
Leah Macy, Notre Dame
Agot Makeer, South Carolina
Brynn McGaughy, Washington
Jasmine Nivar, Campbell
Mia Pauldo, Tennessee
Blanca Quinonez, UConn
Emilee Skinner, Duke
Lara Somfai, Stanford
Hailee Swain, Stanford
Nylah Wilson, Pitt