Joyce Edwards named Paste BN HSSA Girls Rising Star of the Year

Joyce Edwards a sophomore at Camden High School in South Carolina was named the 2022 USA Today High School Sports Awards Girls Rising Star Athlete of the Year during the live show on July 31.

The USA Today High School Sports Awards is the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. Over 800 athletes were honored and winners for 29 sports and other special awards were announced during the live show, which was hosted by former NFL tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Vernon Davis. 

The Rising Star of the Year Award recognizes some of the top up-and-coming underclassmen, sophomores and under, from the 2021-22 academic year. One girl was nominated from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Edwards, who made her first appearance in a varsity basketball game, has compiled some huge numbers so far in her career. She is already Camden High’s all-time scorer career points leader and surpassed the 2,000-point milestone this past season while leading Camden to South Carolina’s 3A state final. Edwards scored 24 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked eight shots in Camden’s 60-58 loss to Keenan High in the championship game.

Edwards’ imposing statistics in the 2021-22 season – 23.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game – has garnered attention from colleges all over the country. With Division I offers rolling in, including Oregon and Oregon State, Joyce Edwards will be a name to watch in 2023 and beyond. She was named the Class 3A South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association co-player of the year

Joining Edwards as finalists for the Girls Rising Star award were Jaloni Cambridge, a sophomore from the Ensworth School in Nashville, Tennessee, who is already a two-time Miss Tennessee girls basketball Division II Class AA recipient; and ZaKiyah Johnson, a freshman, from Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, a member of the Kentucky All-State girls basketball team.