COLUMBIA — South Carolina women's basketball has three players classified as freshmen for the 2024-25 season.

Joyce Edwards, Maddy McDaniel and Adhel Tac should help the defending national champions and coach Dawn Staley. South Carolina only lost star center Kamilla Cardoso, who is now in the WNBA.

Edwards was ranked the No. 3 overall recruit in the class of 2024 by ESPN, McDaniel was No. 14 and Tac at No. 28. Tac was sidelined for the 2023-24 season because of a knee injury and took a redshirt.

Here's a scouting report on the three and where they may fit in the lineup for the 2024-25 season.

Joyce Edwards, forward

Edwards is a multi-dimensional player and can be utilized in many different ways on both ends of the floor. At 6-foot-2, she scores at all levels and averaged 31.3 points in her final season of high school basketball. She's a natural forward with guard-like abilities and can defend someone straight up and lock down a quick defender. Her talents and skill translates well to South Carolina's pace, which could mean heavy minutes off the bench.

She has length and can work in the paint, but also is comfortable playing further outside.

In June, Edwards led the United States in the 2024 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup, in Bucaramanga, Colombia, and averaged 14.2 points per game and was named Tournament MVP.

She was named the 2023-24 National Gatorade Player of the Year and a 2024 McDonald’s All-American and Naismith First Team All-American. In June, she was named 2023-24 MaxPreps Female National Athlete of the Year.

Maddy McDaniel, guard

The good thing for South Carolina: Staley doesn't necessarily need McDaniel right now, meaning she'll develop over time and eventually start, potentially as soon as 2025-26 with no Te-Hina Paopao.

The bad thing for McDaniel: Her minutes this season are unknown but lean on the thinner side.

McDaniel, who is 5-9, brings speed and skill to the guard group. During the playoffs for Bishop McNamara High School (Upper Marlboro, Maryland), McDaniel injured her knee and had surgery in February to repair a torn meniscus. In her junior season, she averaged 18.6 points, 5.4 assists, 5.2 steals and 4.3 rebounds per game.

It'll be hard for McDaniel this season, with Tessa Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley likely a rotation ahead of her in the lineup as sophomores, but with time, she's expected to be another star for South Carolina.

Adhel Tac, forward

Tac, a 6-5 forward/center, benefitted from learning from and watching the Gamecocks for most of last season, so her freshman status leans a bit towards the sophomore side.

However, Tac still hasn't played a game for South Carolina but may be thrusted into heavy minutes without Cardoso. It's unclear at the moment if she's 100% recovered, but health issues aside, she is expected to be skilled presence down low.

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She'll battle with Ashlyn Watkins, Chloe Kitts, Edwards, Sania Feagin and Sakima Walker for minutes in the paint but she brings a year of studying how the Gamecocks play and last season is a pretty good year to work off of.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What to know about South Carolina basketball freshmen for Dawn Staley