South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso performing how Dawn Staley ‘envisioned’ in SEC play
When Dawn Staley glanced over the box score following South Carolina’s 83-51 victory over Alabama, one stat jumped off the page.
Sophomore Kamilla Cardoso took six shots against the Crimson Tide, her highest number since attempting nine in the Gamecocks’ lone loss at Missouri on Dec. 30. Staley had been waiting for Cardoso to get more shots off, and she saw the Syracuse transfer start to put it together against the Crimson Tide.
Cardoso scored eight points on 4 of 6 shooting. She added nine rebounds to her ledger along with a USC career-high five blocks in the contest.
“It’s about time,” Staley said. “The way Kamilla played was kind of what we envisioned, probably not every game, but close to that. She played pretty inspired basketball.”
Cardoso came to South Carolina after a standout freshman year at Syracuse, where she earned ACC co-Defensive Player of the Year and conference Freshman of the Year honors.
She’s been a steady presence off the bench in her first year at USC, averaging 7.6 points in conference play (fifth on the team) and 6.0 rebounds (second on the team).
The Gamecocks’ 6-foot-7 center also ranks as the SEC’s seventh-best shot blocker with 34 on the year and has grabbed 114 boards this season — 20th in the SEC — despite averaging the fewest minutes of the league’s top 10 shot blockers or top 20 rebounders.
Staley said on Jan. 12 Cardoso was still working to get used to less playing time on a loaded Gamecocks roster. She averaged over 23 minutes per game as a freshman at Syracuse, and that’s been limited by the presence of South Carolina’s veteran post players and established starters.
“She’s used to playing a lot of minutes, and those minutes are cut in half,” Staley said on Jan. 12. “She’s trying to figure out where she fits in, but I like her progress.”
Cardoso garnered compliments from Staley on her quick learning ability and strong defense, but Staley has repeated a desire to see Cardoso take more of her own shots. Staley said the Gamecocks had installed a package in practice to get Cardoso scoring in the paint, but her willingness as a passer made it difficult to see those plays come to life.
“We really concentrate on getting her the ball in practice, to put her in a position where she takes shots,” Staley said. “It’s a hard habit to break because she’s such a good passer and she’s so unselfish.”
Cardoso’s effort to put up more shots against Alabama made Staley proud of the progress.
“She was all over the place, blocked shots,” Staley said. “She took six shots. That is the thing that comes off the page for me, just because she doesn’t take shots. We need her to take at least 10 shots a game.”
Cardoso has only eclipsed that number once since arriving in Columbia, finishing a Dec. 3 win over Kansast State 4 of 11 from the field. She’s found a steadier rhythm in SEC play, though, attempting 37 shots across eight games.
If Staley has her way, those numbers will continue to climb over the Gamecocks’ final six regular season games this month.
Next South Carolina women’s basketball game
Who: No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (21-1, 9-1 SEC) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (9-9, 2-6 SEC)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10
Where: Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky.
Watch: ESPN
