South Carolina Basketball: Award-winner set to return?
By Kevin Miller
The news has been fast and furious for the South Carolina basketball team this week. On Friday, the Gamecocks fell to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, ending their perfect season and their quest for back-to-back championships.
Over the weekend, former National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston announced her intentions to forego her final year of eligibility and enter the WNBA Draft. Earlier this week, both Brea Beal and Laeticia Amihere joined Boston in the draft pool. All three players are expected to be selected, and Boston is projected to be the first pick.
On Tuesday, more news came out regarding the future of one of Dawn Staley’s top players. SEC Sixth Woman of the Year Award-winner Kamilla Cardoso appears to have announced that she is returning for her final year in Columbia. Via her Instagram account, Cardoso mentioned her “comeback” despite some projections having her go as high as the first round if she were to leave college this offseason.
Since transferring from Syracuse to South Carolina, Cardoso has been extremely productive. The 6’7″ center has not played as many minutes as her talent might warrant, but that was because of playing on the same team as players like Aliyah Boston, Victaria Saxton, and Laeticia Amihere. There have only been so many minutes to go around, but Cardoso has taken full advantage.
In her bench role, the Brazilian post player averaged 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest this season and added almost two blocks per game. With the likelihood of more time on the court next season, Cardoso’s numbers could skyrocket. She is betting on herself with this decision to return to school, and this wager is one that could pay huge dividends if she continues her strong play.
Cardoso is a force down low that most college teams are incapable of dealing with due to her size and length. If she can progress to show a little more touch around the basket and improve her conditioning, there is nothing stopping #10 from joining the elites of women’s college basketball during the 2023-2024 season.