She knew the play was “five out,” and that with every player standing above the 3-point arc, she would have a driving lane.
The freshman didn’t know when to go, though. As the clock reached 25 seconds left in the quarter, she glanced toward Staley. The Hall of Fame coach looked at Edwards and shrugged her shoulders. It was as if she were saying, “Go, make a play.”
Edwards, who averaged 12.7 points per game this season, listened. She took the ball in her right hand, drove hard at Texas forward Kyla Oldacre, leaving the 6-foot-6 player behind her, and made a nice finish at the basket with 10 seconds left in the quarter.
It was a smooth play, something not many 6-3 forwards can do while starting the play beyond the 3-point arc. But Edwards isn’t most forwards; she was the No. 3 player in the 2024 class, according to ESPN, and has a skill set that sets her apart from her peers.
All of it was on full display Friday in South Carolina’s 74-57 Final Four win over Texas. She finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, tallying the fourth double-double of her young career. She also added six assists and one steal, leading South Carolina back to its third national championship game in four years. The Gamecocks will face UConn on Sunday for the title.
JOYCE EDWARDS IS HOOPIN’ 😤#MarchMadness x #WFinalFour x @GamecockWBBpic.twitter.com/akRq3V57Nn
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 5, 2025
Edwards’ impact is a game-changer for the Gamecocks, Staley said.
“I don’t want to put that much pressure on her, but that’s what she’s been doing all season long,” Staley said. “When she doesn’t get her average, when she doesn’t fly around out there, we feel it. We feel it.”
Edwards hasn’t been in that form for much of the tournament. As opponents began scheming against her, she went into a slump. She scored 5 points in the second-round tournament win over Indiana, 6 points in the Sweet 16 against Maryland and 4 against Duke in the Elite Eight.
It was the longest stretch she can remember without reaching double figures, but the Final Four was the perfect time to find her form again.
“It’s comforting just knowing that I was going to bounce back. It wasn’t if, it was when,” Edwards said. “I’m happy it was today.”
One of the things Staley likes so much about Edwards is her brain.
Edwards went to Camden High, which is just over half an hour from South Carolina’s campus. She left Camden with a 5.08 GPA and arrived at South Carolina as an environmental engineering major in the honors college.
“She’s a very high-intelligent individual,” Staley said. “Not very many athletes are in the honors college.”
Her intelligence translates onto the court, as well. Edwards sees things happening in slow motion, which is half the adjustment for freshmen in the college game. But she also puts the work into ...
