South Carolina Basketball: Another All-American honor for Kamilla Cardoso

Earlier this week, South Carolina basketball star Kamilla Cardoso announced her WNBA Draft plans. The 6'7" low post force will not be using her extra "Covid redshirt" to return to Columbia for a fifth year of college basketball. Instead, she will be taking her talents to the professional ranks, and she is projected to be a top-5 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Cardoso's final season in garnet and black has been one full of accolades.

#10 was honored as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, she received a 1st team All-SEC spot, and she has made several All-American teams.

This week, it was announced that Kamilla Cardoso officially had been named to the John R. Wooden Award All-American team. She is also a candidate for the John R. Wooden Award as the nation's top overall player and is a finalist for several other national player of the year trophies and national defensive player of the year honors.

Cardoso is deserving of every accolade she receives. Very few players in the country as impactful on both ends of the court as she is. In the SEC, Cardoso led the conference in field goal percentage and in blocked shots as she owned the paint on offense and defense night in and night out.

With Cardoso heading off to the WNBA this summer, she likely will follow in Aliyah Boston's footsteps as a top-5 pick and immediate impact rookie. She would mark the 4th South Carolina basketball alum to be taken in the 1st round in the last two WNBA Drafts. Once she gets on the court in the W, her length and instincts around the basket will allow her plenty of opportunities to put the ball in the basket and prevent opponents from doing the same, just as she excelled at doing during her time in garnet and black.