Joyce Edwards

Awards

At South Carolina
All-America honorable mention (2025 – AP, USBWA)
All-SEC First Team (2025)
SEC All-Freshman (2025)
NCAA Final Four All-Tournament (2025)
SEC Academic Honor Roll (2025)

High School
Gatorade National Player of the Year (2024)
Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year (2024)
McDonald’s All-America (2024)
2x USA Today Athlete of the Year (2023, 2024)
2x MaxPreps Female Athlete of the Year (2023, 2024)
USA Today Girls Basketball Player of the Year (2024)
4x SCBCA 3A State Player of the Year (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)

International (USA Basketball)
2025 FIBA AmeriCup, gold medal
2025 FIBA 3×3 Nations League Americas Conference 2 (Champion)
2025 USA Basketball 3×3 National Championships, semifinalist
2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup, gold medal
2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup MVP
2023 FIBA U19 World Cup, gold medal
2023 FIBA U19 World Cup All-Star Five

In the South Carolina Record Book

Game
1st – Offensive rebounds in an SEC game (10 at Vanderbilt, 2/23/25)
4th – Offensive rebounds in a game (10 at Vanderbilt, 2/23/25)

Best free throw percentage in a game by a freshman (1.000 (8-8) vs. Florida, 2/13/25)

Season
1st – Games played in a season (39 in 2024-25)

Best free throw percentage by a freshman (.777 (108-139) in 2024-25)
Most games played by a freshman (39 in 2024-25)

Bio Information

Freshman Year (2024-25)

• Helped team to SEC regular-season and tournament championships and a spot in the national championship game, playing in all 39 games
• Drew All-America honorable mention status and became just the third Gamecock freshman all-time to earn First-Team All-SEC honors
• Finished the season as the team’s top scorer (12.7 ppg) … her 494 total points were the second most by a freshman in program history
• Reset the program’s freshman record for free throw percentage (.777), which ranked 10^th overall in the program record book
• Shot 57.2 percent from the field in SEC play to rank second in the league
• Led the team with five 20-point outings, 27 double-figure scoring games and 16 games as the team’s top scorer
• Earned a spot on the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team after averaging 11.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in the last weekend of the season
• Stuffed the stat sheet in the NCAA semifinal against #5/5 Texas (Apr. 4) with her fourth double-double of the season (13 points, 11 rebounds) and a team-high six assists in 26 minutes off the bench
• Posted 22 points in her NCAA Tournament debut against Tennessee Tech (Mar. 21), tallying her fifth 20-point game of the season to become just the sixth Gamecock freshman to hit the mark in an NCAA Tournament game
• Finished SEC Tournament with a team second-best 14.7 ppg, posting double figure points in all three games
• Posted her fourth 20-point game of the season against #10/10 Oklahoma (Mar. 8) in the SEC Tournament semifinal, becoming the second Gamecock freshman all-time to hit the mark in an SEC Tournament game … scored seven of her 21 points in a 15-2 run in the first quarter that put the Sooners on their heels
• Tied program record for offensive rebounds in an SEC game and offensive boards by a freshman with 10 at Vanderbilt (Feb. 23), finishing with her third double-double of the season (17 pts/12 rebs) … scored 11 points in a 16-1 run she started after the Commodores had closed within six early in the third quarter
• Set a new career-high 28 points against Florida (Feb. 13), the most ever by a Gamecock freshman in SEC play
• Scored four of her team-high 18 points at #18/17 Tennessee (Jan. 27) in the fourth quarter to stop a 10-2 Lady Vol run
• Led the team for the third-straight game with 14 points against #5/4 LSU (Jan. 24)
• Tallied a new career-high 21 points at #19/19 Alabama (Jan. 16), knocking down 11 in the final quarter, including nine during the late rally that turned a five-point lead into an 18-point victory
• Solid SEC debut at Mizzou (Jan. 2) with seven of her nine points coming on a 9-0 run late in the second quarter after the Tigers had closed within two points
• SEC Freshman of the Week after strong showing at the Fort Myers Tipoff, including her first career double-double with 13 points and 11 boards against #15/15 Iowa State (Nov. 28)
• Made college debut against Michigan (Nov. 4), grabbing a key defensive rebound and a pair of free throws in final 13 seconds to help seal the win as part of her 10-point, 7-rebound effort

High School

• Ranked No. 3 in the 2024 Class, according to espnW
• Capped her high school career with Gatorade National Player of the Year honors
• Was named co-MVP of the 2024 McDonald’s All-American game with a game-high 19 points
• Poured in 31.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.3 blocks per game as a senior
• Was honored as the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association 3A Player of the Year four times – 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• Earned USA Today Girls Athlete of the Year recognition in her junior and senior seasons after leading Camden to back-to-back state titles
• Has helped the U.S. to a pair of gold medals, grabbing a spot on the All-Star Five of the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup and MVP honors at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup
• Joined the Camden varsity team in seventh grade and earned all-state honors five times in her career
• Also earned all-state honors in soccer and volleyball during high school, helping her volleyball team to the state championship and the soccer team to the lower state championship as a senior