Gamecock trio claims AP All-America honors

COLUMBIA, S.C. – For the second time in as many seasons, South Carolina women’s basketball has three Associated Press All-Americans. Sophomore Joyce Edwards continued her run of second-team honors, up from honorable mention status in 2025. Senior Raven Johnson earned a spot on the third team, and senior Ta’Niya Latson was an honorable mention, marking her fourth straight season with All-America recognition.

Edwards, who has been a consensus second-team All-America pick this season, is also a finalist for the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award. She began her awards season being named to the All-SEC First Team for the second time in as many seasons. She ranks fourth in the SEC and 22nd in the nation in scoring at 19.6 points per game, and her .587 field goal percentage is among the nation’s top 15. She leads the team with 19 20-point outings, which ranks fifth in program single-season history, and her 667 total points are the seventh-most in a season in program history. Edwards is 17th in the SEC with 6.3 rebounds per game. Against ranked teams, she averages 16.5 points and 6.6 rebounds. She was an SEC All-Tournament Team selection behind her team-high 17.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game at the event.

Johnson earned All-America honorable mention status from USA Today earlier this month after being named 2026 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-SEC Second Team. She is sixth in the SEC in assists per game (5.4) and fourth in the nation with a 3.41 assist-to-turnover ratio. Her stat stuffing includes a career-best 10.3 points per game on 50.6 percent field goal shooting. Those numbers rise to 11.6 points per game on 53.0 percent shooting against ranked opponents, while also averaging 5.7 assists in those games. Johnson was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team as she was second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game on 60.0 percent shooting, including 5-of-8 (.625) from 3-point range as the Gamecocks advanced to the title game for the seventh-straight season. She is fourth in program history in career assists (594) and owns three of the program’s top seven single-season assist-to-turnover ratios.

Latson earned All-SEC Second Team honors this season after ranking among the league’s top 20 in five different categories. She is second on the team in scoring and assists, despite missing five games due to injury. Her 14.3 points per game rank 17th in the SEC, and she is eighth in the league with a career-best .493 field goal percentage. She is fourth in the league with a 2.32 assist-to-turnover ratio with 3.5 assists per game, and her .783 free throw percentage ranks ninth. Defensively, she is 14th in the SEC with 1.7 steals per game.

No. 4/4 South Carolina opens play in the NCAA Tournament on Sat., March 21, at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks will play the winner of the First Four game between Southern and Samford in a 1 p.m. tipoff on ABC.

Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for more information on the program.

2026 Associated Press All-America Teams
First Team
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
Madison Booker, Texas
Azzi Fudd, UConn
Sarah Strong, UConn

Second Team
Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State
Audi Crooks, Iowa State
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Olivia Miles, TCU

Third Team
Toby Fournier, Duke
Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU
Raven Johnson, South Carolina
Olivia Olson, Michigan
Kiki Rice, UCLA

Honorable Mention
Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Jazzy Davidson, Southern Cal
Maggie Doogan, Richmond
MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU
Rori Harmon, Texas
Ava Heiden, Iowa
Gianna Kneepkens, UCLA
Avery Koenen, North Dakota State
Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina
Liv McGill, Florida
Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss
Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State
Oluchi Okanawa, Maryland
Khamil Pierre, NC State
Marta Suarez, TCU
Clara Strack, Kentucky
Riley Weiss, Columbia
Mikaylah Williams, LSU