TAMPA, Fla. — With the clock winding down in the first quarter, South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards had the ball on the perimeter and looked toward her coach, Dawn Staley.
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…
