Why Kamilla Cardoso thanked South Carolina women's basketball teammates for timely passes
CLEVELAND – At halftime of the Final Four, with South Carolina women’s basketball up just one point on NC State, Bree Hall looked at Kamilla Cardoso and thanked her.
Hall did it because Cardoso caught her passes and finished with points. Cardoso flipped it back, thanking her teammates for being so good at passing.
The 6-foot-7 senior center had plenty of passes to catch in the post Sunday and turned them into one of her finest performances with No. 1 seeded South Carolina (37-0). Despite a leg injury that slowed her down and a fourth-quarter lead large enough to let her rest, Cardoso’s 22 points and 11 rebounds paced the Gamecocks to a 78-59 win over No. 3 seeded NC State (31-7) on Friday in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“I feel like I work really hard for the post-ups, and they work really hard to find me,” Cardoso said. “It works both ways. We all are happy.”
The sun is setting on Cardoso’s college career. After announcing Monday she’ll forgo her final year of eligibility to enter the WNBA Draft, she’ll suit up in garnet and black one last time for the championship game on Sunday (3 p.m., ABC) against No. 1 seeded Iowa (34-4).
“I feel like every time I step out on the court to play basketball it’s like a job but I’m playing the game I love,” Cardoso said. “The main thing is let’s go have fun and do what we do best.”
As she steps on the court now, she has no interest in losing, coach Dawn Staley said. The goal has been to reach the championship game and avenge last season’s finish. Now, the focus shifts to winning it all.
Staley said the team has envisioned their season ending with a national championship. When their play matches that vision, it becomes even more special, and Cardoso can help make that happen.
“You play to your strengths,” Staley said. “Kamilla is a strength of ours. She's 6-foot-7. She's agile. She can command the paint. She plays with a desire to win.”
Cardoso’s desire to win brought her back onto the court in the second half after suffering a knee injury just before halftime. She said it started to hurt after falling and she got scared but was able to work it off in the locker room.
“She's not going to like this answer, but she's a beautiful Brazilian warrior,” senior guard Te-Hina Paopao said. “She’s just awesome, man. She's going to play through some pain. That's who she is, and she loves playing the game. She's going to push through that.”
Cardoso’s growth has been remarkable in her first year as a starter with South Carolina. After averaging 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds, Cardoso has upped both numbers to career-highs at 14.1 points and 9.8 rebounds.
“She’s just blossomed so much this season,” Hall said. “Really just grown her game and to see her out there finishing and doing moves, it’s awesome.”
As she’s gotten better, it’s made it easier for her teammates, who can find her with passes and ensure they’ll get an assist.
“No one can really guard her,” freshman guard MiLaysia Fulwiley said. “I’m just happy I get to play with her. She’s like a cheat code, really. I love when she dominates like she did today.”
It wasn’t just Cardoso who dominated down low – sophomore forward Ashlyn Watkins grabbed a career-high 20 boards, guiding a 46-32 rebounding advantage.
With Cardoso at the helm of the offense, however, the Gamecocks were able to shake off the ghosts of last year’s team, which reached the same spot – an undefeated record in the Final Four – before losing.
If South Carolina is to lift a championship trophy on Sunday, it’ll have to shake off one more ghost by avenging its loss against Iowa last season. For the Gamecocks, Cardoso will be at the focal point once again.
“Greatness is a process,” Staley said. “And she's still very much in, I think, in the beginning stages of her greatness.”
Evan Gerike covers South Carolina women's basketball for the Greenville News. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Kamilla Cardoso thanked her South Carolina teammates for timely passes
