Oliviyah Edwards’ Gamecocks Commitment Gives Aliyah Boston Edge Over Candace Parker

Much was made about the Tennessee Volunteers' women's basketball team experiencing a roster exodus after the 2025-26 season ended.

And it wasn't only current Tennessee players who decided to take their talents elsewhere after the team's second-half collapse. Forward Oliviyah Edwards, who is the nation's No. 2 recruit, had initially committed to play for Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell before decommitting from the program earlier this month.

On April 23, Edwards announced the next school she'd be attending: the University of South Carolina, under head coach Dawn Staley. Edwards made this announcement with a social media post that was captioned, "Sometimes it takes twice to get it right ❤️🐔 #Committed," which could be perceived as a subtle dig at her first choice of Tennessee.

Sometimes it takes twice to get it right ❤️🐔 #Committed pic.twitter.com/JhMT9Di1fO
— Oliviyah “Big Oh” Edwards (@EdwardsOliviyah) April 23, 2026

Candace Parker's South Carolina Denial For Oliviyah Edwards Comes Back to Bite Her

Candace Parker certainly didn't see this decision coming (or at least refused to believe that it was an option), which she made clear with comments during an April 8 episode of her "Post Moves" podcast with Aliyah Boston.

"I think Oliviyah was a huge plus when we signed her. I was there, actually, on her visit," Parker said.

"I was excited to see how that was gonna look [at Tennessee]," Boston replied. To which Parker said, "Where is she gonna go?"

Candace Parker with son Airr Parker | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"Yeah. Well, I have a suggestion," Boston added with a cheeky smile and shrug. This prompted Parker to look off-screen, brood for a moment, and add, "Nah. She's not going to South Carolina. She's not going to South Carolina."

"Hmm," Boston said while looking at Parker, after saying, "USC! USC!"

Aliyah Boston & Candace Parker talking about where Oliviyah Edwards should go after decommitting from Tennessee earlier this month

“She’s not going to South Carolina,” Parker said after Boston hinted at it.

Edwards committed to South Carolina today.

🎥: @PostMovesShow pic.twitter.com/RHTCKCUeWl
— Grant Young (@GrvntYoung) April 23, 2026

"I really think that Oliviyah needs a good point guard. So, if you're her, where do you go? You need shooters, and you need a point guard. So where do you go? That's the question," Parker added.

Obviously, Edwards believes she found the answers she was looking for at South Carolina, despite it being unclear who their starting point guard will be next season after Raven Johnson joined the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft earlier this month.

This commitment is not only going to sting for Parker, but for all Tennessee fans who were looking forward to seeing what Edwards could do on their roster. And Dawn Staley must be feeling great about landing yet another elite player, as she intends to contend for yet another national championship next April.

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