Whether it is head coach Dawn Staley or her Gamecock players, the South Carolina basketball program has racked up the awards over the last month.
On Thursday, it was announced that Kamilla Cardoso and Te-Hina Paopao were WBCA All-Americans. Cardoso made the 1st team, while Paopao was an Honorable Mention selection.
South Carolina basketball is joined with multiple honorees by the UConn Huskies (Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards), LSU Tigers (Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow), Stanford Cardinal (Cameron Brink and Kiki Iriafen), Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Hannah Hidalgo and Maddy Westbeld), Ohio State Buckeyes (Jacy Sheldon and Cotie McMahon), Virginia Tech Hokies (Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore), Indiana Hoosiers (Mackenzie Holmes and Sara Scalia), and Oklahoma Sooners (Skylar Vann and Peyton Verhulst).
Cardoso has made virtually every All-American squad that exists this season as she proved herself to be a two-way force as a first-time starter after spending the previous two seasons backing up former National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston. Cardoso led the SEC in both field goal percentage and blocked shots, and had she not played in such a loaded frontcourt with players like Ashlyn Watkins, Sania Feagin, and Chloe Kitts, she would have put up even more ridiculous statistical numbers.
Paopao has found her way onto several All-American teams, as well. The Oregon transfer was one of the nation's top shooters in the 2023-2024 season as she "unlocked" the USC offense by providing space for the rest of her teammates with her shooting gravity.
Cardoso has announced her entry into the 2024 WNBA Draft, and she likely will be picked inside the top-5. Paopao will return to Columbia for one final run with the South Carolina basketball program as she has chosen to run it back with Raven Johnson in Dawn Staley's dual-point guard offense.
Cardoso, Paopao, and the Gamecocks will take on NC State on Friday in the Final Four. The game will begin at 7:00 PM EST and will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on the ESPN app.