Sometimes with elite players, it’s the smallest moments that reveal the most. Everyone notices the scoring bursts, the big blocks, and the highlight rebounds — perfect fodder for social media. But it’s the quieter actions, the ones that don’t go viral, that truly define greatness.
Last week, Joyce Edwards earned SEC Player of the Week after standout performances against Clemson and Southern Cal. The announcement dropped around noon — the exact time South Carolina tipped off its usual Tuesday practice.
Because of that, none of the players knew about the award until practice wrapped up hours later. Dawn Staley was the first to hear, tipped off by reporters while her team was shooting free throws.
She stopped everything, shouting across the gym, “Congrats to Joyce! SEC Player of the Week!” The team erupted in cheers — except for Edwards, who barely reacted.
“Obviously, it’s an honor. I’m glad my hard work is being shown,” Edwards said of her first SEC weekly award. “But in the end, it really means nothing.”
She wasn’t wrong. November awards often serve as content pieces as much as recognition. And when the program’s goal is a national championship, weekly honors barely register. Still, her muted reaction revealed something important about her mindset.
Edwards delivered a stellar freshman year — leading South Carolina in scoring, helping the team reach the Final Four, earning first-team All-SEC, and receiving honorable mention All-America honors.
Yet Staley kept pushing her. She wanted Edwards to become more dominant: take over games, boost her scoring, and sharpen her defense. And then Staley dropped the heaviest challenge of all: be more like A’ja Wilson.
That’s an enormous ask. Wilson isn’t just elite — she may end up the best women’s basketball player ever. Edwards is entering only her second season of college basketball.
From the moment she committed to South Carolina, Edwards faced constant comparisons to Wilson. It’s flattering but also carries weight. Their freshman seasons were uncannily similar, and Wilson herself took a massive step forward in year two, winning her first of three straight SEC Player of the Year awards. Staley wanted Edwards to do the same.
“Joyce is finding her footing, and she’s very comfortable with what she’s doing out there on both sides of the ball,” Staley said after the weekly award announcement. “Just like her activity on both sides of the ball, I like her competitiveness and her will to win.”
Her numbers show that growth:
2024: 21.3 mpg, 52.9 FG%, 3.6 FTA, 12.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.4 bpg
2025: 28.3 mpg, 61.3 FG%, 5.5 FTA, 19.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.8 bpg
Even considering the softer early schedule, the progression is undeniable.
“Every game has their own lessons,” Edwards said. “Every team throws something a little different. You just go into the game with an open mind. You do what you usually do, you show a lot of effort, and the game is going to take care of itself.”
Where she’s made her biggest leap — both statistically and visually — is on defense. Edwards was a dominant defender in high school, but last year she was simply solid.
Staley constantly reminded her that the greatest players — especially at South Carolina — excelled defensively. Wilson, Tiffany Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, Kamilla Cardoso… all were elite on that end.
Some players shy away from defensive criticism. Defense doesn’t get NIL deals or rack up likes on TikTok. But Edwards embraced it.
“It was more of a focus thing, putting my mind on something,” she said. “I feel like I’m a really competitive person. I want to meet my goals. I feel like she’s challenging me in a way so I can be a better overall player. But especially my defense. I’ve been really focusing on staying in a stance, staying low, just being disciplined overall.”
Her attitude is a reminder that great players crave coaching. They don’t reject criticism — they seek it.
How that criticism is delivered, though, varies. With Wilson, Staley used constant jabs, little jokes, and withheld praise to push her. Wilson thrived on it.
With Boston, Staley used a gentler touch — slowly building her confidence until she fully embraced her dominance. Only once Boston became elite did Staley start sprinkling in tougher critiques.
Every star needs a different blueprint. So which one does Staley use for Edwards?
Staley paused for nearly 10 seconds before answering.
“Probably A’ja’s blending days,” she finally said. “And there weren’t a whole lot of them, but I coach Joyce from those moments. Not necessarily in games, more in practice.”
The pause said everything.
Like Wilson, Edwards joined an already powerful team. She couldn’t immediately take over — but she was always destined to. And now, her time has arrived.
