PHOENIX — To know what South Carolina women’s basketball star forward Joyce Edwards is thinking, look at her face.
“We like to joke and say that anything she feels you’ll see it on her face before it comes out of her mouth, it’s just always been like that,” said sophomore forward Adhel Tac.
Edwards feels many things on the court but putting those thoughts into words isn’t her typical first course of action.
“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable, it’s just a little bit of an inconvenience in my opinion,” Edwards said.
Edwards helped lead the No. 1 seed Gamecocks (35-3) back to the Final Four where they will face No. 1 overall seed UConn (38-0) on April 3 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The 6-foot-3 forward came off the bench and quietly thrived for South Carolina coach Dawn Staley as a freshman last year.
She had the luxury of Sania Feagin being comfortable talking, with Chloe Kitts chiming in when necessary.
So when Feagin graduated into the WNBA, it was Kitts’ turn. Her voice was the loudest all summer, but she tore her ACL in practice before the season started, meaning she would miss the season.
That left Edwards all alone in the frontcourt with senior Maryam Dauda, who averaged 6.4 minutes last year, Tac, who averaged 3.8, and Madina Okot, a transfer center in just her second season of basketball in the United States.
Edwards had to grow up quickly this season, finding a way to vocalize what needs to happen.
That responsibility she didn’t come to South Carolina seeking.
“I definitely think she didn’t want it. She just wants to play basketball, just get out there and do her thing,” Tac said.
“I mean, they’re kind of right. I do just want to ball, but I feel like at the end of the day, I have good stuff to say and have to say it to help the team,” said Edwards, whose scoring average is up to 19.7 points compared to 12.7 last season.
How Joyce Edwards impressed Dawn Staley
Since middle school, Edwards said she had trouble conveying what she meant.
“I come from a very blunt, honest family, and you can’t be like that to everybody,” she said.
She had no choice but to learn how and what to say with Okot, Dauda, Tac, and 18-year old Alicia Tournebize, who joined the team from France in January, looking at her for guidance.
“I had to step into a leadership role and I’m not really necessarily that vocal on the court,” Edwards said. “I feel like I just read off of people. It’s kind of hard for me to say things sometimes, and I don’t know what people need to hear, but just finding that balance of being vocal, still just playing basketball and not being too controlling over other people.”
In some ways it was trial by fire. Kitts was just the first player to go down, with Edwards losing six other teammates for various games along the way.
“She’s growing up in the fact that you can’t not talk, because a lot of the stuff we do is through you,” Tac said. “Our energy starts with you. Coach has told her and we’ve told her that she’s an anchor for us. When she’s good, we’re good when she’s not, we’re not.
“The information that comes out of her mouth is very valuable and she recognized that. She’s taken such a huge leap.”
Transfer Ta’Niya Latson is just playing one season together with Edwards at South Carolina, but they played AAU together.
“She’s having a breakout year, and I’m so proud of her, just to see her flourish every step, it’s been beautiful to see,” Latson said. “Her voice is very powerful. So whatever she says that the locker room is listening, and it’s a lot of pressure for a young kid to have that, but I feel like she carries it well and she’s doing her best.”
When Edwards is screening off the ball, making short jumpers or running the floor in transition, the Gamecocks are good. When doing that plus explaining what defensive looks she recognizes during a timeout, and identifying and vocalizing what is and isn’t working, they’re great.
“Joyce’s progress from Year 1 to Year 2 has been outstanding,” Staley said. “I think that progress got sped up a little bit more because of Chloe went down early in the season, and I think Joyce just took it upon herself to want to win. She studies the game. She knows what things she needs to correct from last season to this season, and she’s doing that in real time.”
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
