“Joyce Edwards is a phenomenal basketball player whose skills speak to her versatility on the court. She’s a dominant force at both ends of the court. Though she is capable of scoring at all levels, she also creates and shares the ball with her teammates, providing opportunities for them to score. She’s a menace on the defensive end with the ability to guard at the rim and in the paint, but she’s also athletic enough to guard all positions. Joyce is in a class of her own, which makes her the only player from South Carolina that embodies the qualities of this prestigious award.”

Stephanie Butler-Graham

Head Coach - head coach of South Pointe High

Athletic Excellence

The 6-foot-2 senior forward averaged 31.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4.5 steals, 4.0 assists and 3.3 blocks per game this past season, leading the Bulldogs (28-2) to the Class AAA state championship. Ranked as the nation’s No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2024 by both espnW and Prospects Nation, Edwards is also a 2024 McDonald’s All-American and Naismith First Team All American. The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, she helped 2023 USA Women's U19 National Team win gold at the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's World Cup in Madrid last summer, averaging 12.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 18.5 minutes over seven games to earn All-Star Five honors. She compiled a 74.0 percent true shooting percentage as a senior.

Academic Achievement

Edwards has maintained a 5.08 weighted GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball on scholarship at the University of South Carolina this fall.

Exemplary Character

Also an All-State soccer player, Edwards is a member of the National Beta Club and National Honor Society. She has volunteered on behalf of the Beyond the Court basketball camps in addition to tutoring middle school students at the Jackson Teen Center, an after-school education and sports program for at-risk youth. A finalist for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America National Youth of the Year award, Edwards has also donated her time running the clock and keeping the scorebook at jayvee basketball games.