Joyce Edwards has lived the game for as long as she can remember, picking up a basketball at the tender age of 4 under her father’s guidance. Expressing her gratitude after the Gamecocks made history with three straight 90-point games, Edwards opened up about her family's sacrifices.

"I feel like my parents and my grandma, they have an expectation of me that nobody else has. They have a higher expectation of me than a lot of people know, like higher than coach, higher than anybody. And I feel like they sacrificed so much for me, from taking off work to always training me," Joyce Edwards said.

She continued, "My dad comes in 11 o'clock at night to shoot with me. From a 40 minute drive at home, my mom's always supporting me. Just emotionally, they're always coming to games. I just never want to disappoint them. And I just want to play my hardest because I'm a reflection of them, and then the sacrifice and the legacy of my family."

Joyce’s parents, Rasheedah and Charlie Edwards, are both engineers and have been a constant support throughout her journey.

And while Charlie has stayed out of the spotlight with a more behind-the-scenes role, Rasheedah has been more visible. Nevertheless, both of them have played a significant role in helping Joyce Edwards get to where she is right now.

The sophomore from Camden, South Carolina, has been a key part of the Gamecocks’ NCAA Tournament run, putting up back-to-back 20-point games and helping them secure their 12th straight Sweet 16 appearance.

Moreover, in the 94–68 win over the Oklahoma Sooners, Edwards contributed across the board with 8 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.

That being said, Joyce Edwards has made her presence felt and excelled ever since she started sporting the Gamecocks jersey.

Joyce Edwards - A Force since Day One

As a freshman, Joyce Edwards made an immediate impact for South Carolina after arriving on campus. And that's exactly why head coach Dawn Staley was full of praise while speaking about her last year.

“Joyce is special,” Staley said. "She works really hard at it. She doesn’t take plays off... she’s a relentless worker. She’s a tireless worker. She wants to be great at everything that she does."

And Joyce Edwards has backed that up by making history early in her career and not wasting any time in proving her coach right.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore recently passed 1,000 career points, becoming the fifth-fastest Gamecock to reach that mark.

In her freshman season, she played a program-record 39 games and quickly became one of the most productive first-year players in South Carolina history.

What do you think of Joyce Edwards and her contributions to the Gamecocks? Let us know!

Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Arvind Rao