South Carolina women's basketball: The next steps for Joyce Edwards

While appearing on the SEC Network at SEC Tipoff, Dawn Staley was asked about the greatness of A’ja Wilson, her former player who just won the WNBA Championship and record fourth MVP.

Staley talked about Wilson’s practice habits, her competitiveness, and her ability to be great and to rally her teammates around that greatness. Then Staley looked to her right, where Joyce Edwards was two seats over at the desk.

“Joyce,” she said, pointing at the sophomore. “We need Joyce (to be that).”

Edwards and Wilson have been linked for a long time. Both are from the Columbia area, both had decorated high school careers, and both committed to South Carolina after fierce recruiting battles.

Both had extraordinary freshman seasons in which they were named first-team All-SEC and made the Final Four. But both were able to “blend in” as freshmen on veteran teams, each starting just one game early in the season and then coming off the bench the rest of the year.

“Joyce was able to just be Joyce and not feel the extra pressure of performing at a high level because she was playing with so many other great players,” Staley said.

Wilson took the next step as a sophomore, winning the first of her record three consecutive SEC Player of the Year awards. Wilson had no choice but to become more forceful because Tiffany Mitchell, who had won the last two Player of the Year awards, was slowed by offseason foot surgery.

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Edwards faces a similar task. Chloe Kitts, who was supposed to be her frontcourt partner, will miss the season due to a torn ACL. Staley emphasized that no player will be asked to do anything differently without Kitts, but conceded that there is pressure on Edwards to cover for Kitts.

“Joyce is Joyce. Joyce is going to probably take the brunt of it because she’s just got more playing experience under us,” Staley said. “The same conversations I’m having with Joyce, with or without Chloe, I’m having. It’s not like we’re going to ask somebody to be Chloe because that’s impossible.”

Even before Kitts’ injury, Edwards spent the offseason getting better. She hardly took any time off, playing in the 3X3 Nationals with Kitts, Tessa Johnson, and Maddy McDaniel, winning gold at the AmeriCup, and then playing in the 3X3 NationsLeague.

Edwards said the experience has made her a better player.

“It’s crazy playing on the national team at such a young age for the AmeriCup, and then going to 3X3, going down there in Chile and representing,” she said. “It is a great overall experience. I feel like 3X3, you really just focus on the speed of the game. You have a 12-second shot clock. You don’t have time to think. All your instincts just kick in. It really shows you who is a dog and who’s not. You can’t hide. Five on five, you’re playing with so many talented players.”

Staley agreed with Edwards’ breakdown. She is probably happy that Edwards was the Americans’ best player at NationsLeague.

“I think what three-on-three does is it reveals who can actually play because you’ve got to be smart,” Staley said. “There’s certain things that happen out there, the spacing out there on the floor, it’s read and react. You can see who’s skilled enough, who’s intelligent enough to read and react on both sides of the ball.”

Edwards laughed when Staley said she needed to be like Wilson. She brushed off the comparison, something she’s been doing for years. But everyone else, even Wilson, expects greatness.

When Wilson was in Columbia last season for her jersey retirement, she attended practices, at one point even playing on the scout team with the Highlighters. Staley told Wilson to keep an eye on Edwards, and Wilson came away impressed.

“She’s going to be perfect,” Wilson said. “Even though she’s a homegrown kid, I’m so glad that she came here because no one gets you ready, no one can prep your mind for the next level other than Coach Staley. She’s in the right hands. She’s got a great group around her. She’s going to be good.”

Fast-forward eight months, and Edwards said the reason she has a chance to be so good is that she is pushed every day.

“You don’t go to a lot of programs where you play with so many All-Americans,” Edwards said. “I know it was a thing last year, talking about how many All-Americans we had, but going into a program and playing with that many top players, it’s going to be the same thing going into the league. You’re going to play with so many top players. So it just helps you transition from college to your future goals in the league.”

South Carolina is ranked second in the preseason AP Top 25 and is the preseason pick to win the SEC. The Gamecocks are expected to make their sixth consecutive Final Four appearance, even without Kitts. 

This is where Edwards can learn something else from Wilson. Although Wilson’s sophomore season was a success individually, she would probably call it a disappointment. 

The Gamecocks cruised through the regular season and SEC Tournament, taking advantage of an unusually weak year in the league to go 31-1 and undefeated in conference for the first time. But they were upset in the Sweet 16 by Syracuse.

Everyone – especially Wilson and Staley – learned two lessons after that loss that have become institutional knowledge at South Carolina: you don’t automatically repeat success, and you can’t wait until March to start playing your best basketball.

Maybe this is where Edwards’ journey takes a different path than Wilson’s.

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