USC coach Dawn Staley, top recruit say honors college program brought hoops star to campus

It isn’t every day that women’s basketball recruiting and environmental issues are discussed at a conference on how society can become more sustainable.

But Thursday, the two seemingly disparate subjects meshed as University of South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and a top assistant recounted how sustainability played a key role in landing Joyce Edwards. The Camden High School star, sought by some of the nation’s top programs, was looking for a university that would allow her to pursue a degree in environmental engineering and sustainability issues.

She was able to get what she wanted through a program at the USC honors college that allows high-achieving students to craft majors that include subjects they are particularly interested in. Since the school didn’t offer the environmental engineering degree Edwards wanted to pursue, the honors college was able to help, Staley, Edwards and others said during panel discussions at the SustainSC conference Thursday in Columbia.

“It was a huge, huge role in my academic and athletic decision to go to college wherever I wanted to go,’’ Edwards said of the assistance by the honors college.. “Without it, I would not be at South Carolina.’’

Staley, whose team won the national championship last spring, said Edwards’ parents had stressed academics through her grade school and high school years and they insisted on that continuing through college.

“You have someone like a Joyce Edwards who loves South Carolina basketball, but had parents who were engineers,’’ Staley said. “They knew what type of education they wanted their child to have and they weren’t going to settle (for less). That was a nonnegotiable when it came to what kind of education Joyce would get.’’

With her parents, “It was always academics .... number one,’’ Edwards said, explaining that she had to make good grades to play basketball as she grew up.

Angela O’Neal, a former director of women’s basketball operations at USC, said the Carolina coaching staff at one point worried that Louisiana State or Clemson would land Edwards. Both offer environmental engineering degrees, according to their websites. Carolina only offers a minor in environmental and sustainable engineering.

In hopes of persuading Edwards to attend USC, Mary Wooley, a Staley assistant and recruiting director for women’s basketball, made contacts with the university’s honors college. Ultimately the right course of study was crafted through the college’s ‘’Build Your Own Major’’ program. The program has stringent standards for students at the honors college, which is considered one of the top-ranked colleges of its kind. Edwards had a GPA of 5.1 in high school, her prep coach told The State previously.

Sustainability is an often-used word describing the need to manage natural resources wisely so that future generations won’t be hurt. Businesses are increasingly looking for ways to do their work sustainably. Environmental engineering programs examine how to halt pollution and prevent harmful environmental effects on human health, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Edwards said she became interested in climate change and sustainability as a child. Changes in the earth’s climate are starting to be felt by people, she said. More intense storms and melting polar ice caps are some of the problems the world now faces, Edwards told The State in an interview. She said she’d like to use her status as a baskeball player to help further raise awareness in the public.

That would not surprise Staley, who said Edwards has leadership qualities. The coach noted that Edwards is both an outstanding young player and a good student. Already, the 6-2 forward is impressing people with her play, even though she is a freshman. She scored 19 points and had 12 rebounds in a recent 106-63 win over Memphis.

“She’s incredibly competitive and she needs to elevate people to her level,’’ Staley said. “Even at a very young age, even as a freshman, she’s actually ingrained herself into the team.’’

Overall, Staley and Wooley said recruiting players is more than about basketball. Coaches learn about their recruits well before their senior years in high school, so they get to know about things they like and the types of subjects young players are interested in studying — and Edwards is a good example, Staley said.

“Joyce is passionate about sustainability. Joyce is passionate about basketball,’’ Staley said. “Through her experiences in college, she’ll find different passions. And whatever that is, we’re going to be right there for her.’’

Thursday’s conference, held at the Bull Street village development’s Central Energy facility, drew more than 100 people to hear discussion of environmental, energy and sustainability issues. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette was on one of the panels.