South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards has received an invitation to compete at the USA Basketball AmeriCup Team Trials, set to begin on June 17 in Colorado Springs.
Edwards, a 6-foot-3 rising sophomore from Camden, South Carolina, is among 21 standout college players selected for the trials. The team will be coached by Duke’s Kara Lawson, alongside assistants DeLisha Milton-Jones (Old Dominion) and Jennie Baranczyk (Oklahoma).
Coming off an impressive freshman season, Edwards led the Gamecocks in scoring with 12.7 points per game, while also averaging 5.0 rebounds. Her international resume is already loaded: she won gold medals with the USA U18 AmeriCup and U19 World Cup squads, earning AmeriCup MVP honors and a spot on the World Cup All-Star Five. She also suited up for the USA at the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit.
Earlier this offseason, Edwards competed in the USA Basketball 3X Nationals, teaming up with Chloe Kitts, Tessa Johnson, and Maddy McDaniel. The South Carolina quartet finished third in the tournament.
The full list of invitees for the trials includes names such as Raegan Beers, Hannah Hidalgo, Flau’jae Johnson, Olivia Miles, and Grace VanSlooten, among others. The final roster of 12 will be chosen ahead of the 2024 AmeriCup Tournament, which runs from June 28 to July 6 in Chile.
While the AmeriCup is technically open to senior national teams, the USA typically sends developmental squads, due to the depth of talent in the national program. The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the World Cup and the Olympics.
Edwards isn’t the only Gamecock aiming for an AmeriCup appearance. Incoming freshman Ayla McDowell and former South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso have both been named to Brazil’s preliminary roster.
Brazil’s roster also includes Damiris Dantas, and both Cardoso and Dantas have been granted permission to skip training camp and join the squad directly at the tournament, as they continue their WNBA seasons. Training camp for the rest of the Brazilian team kicks off on June 15, followed by a friendly vs. Canada on June 22.
Cardoso played a pivotal role in Brazil’s gold medal win at the 2023 AmeriCup, defeating Team USA (which included her then-teammate Raven Johnson) in the final. Cardoso was named MVP of that tournament, setting the tone for her dominant senior season at South Carolina.
Meanwhile, Agot Makeer, another incoming Gamecock freshman, is part of Canada’s 25-player national team pool, though she was not among the 16 selected for Canada’s AmeriCup trials. Makeer shined last summer for Canada’s U18 team, earning All-Star Five honors at the AmeriCup.
Former Gamecock and two-time Canadian Olympian Laeticia Amihere was also not invited, as Canada has shifted focus toward developing younger talent, and Amihere remains committed to her WNBA career.
