Dawn Staley Gives Thoughts On Kamilla Cardoso's Future

Andrew Lyon | Mar 30, 2024

Mar 24, 2034; Columbia, So Carolina, USA; South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso (10) waves to fans before her team's second round game vs North Carolina / Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports via

While South Carolina's women's basketball team is preparing for an Elite 8 matchup with the Oregon State Beavers, a game that will decide if they'll go to their fourth straight Final Four or not, one of their most prominent players has her own decision to make, one that'll shape the future of her basketball career. That player is Kamilla Cardoso, who, through it all this season, has been the heartbeat of the Gamecocks on the floor, coming up huge in the fourth quarter of multiple close games and nullifying the inside presence for most of Carolina's opponents throughout their current run. Regarding her decision, Cardoso is in her fourth year of college basketball, making her eligible for the 2024 WNBA Draft, where she's currently projected to be the 4th overall pick to the Los Angeles Sparks per ESPN. However, Kamilla also has an extra year of eligibility she can use since she played in the 2020-21 COVID-plagued season.

On Saturday, Dawn Staley met with the media and was asked about trying to get Cardoso to bring 'Killa Milla' out more frequently, a more aggressive side of the Brazilian center that comes out on the court, without it being to her detriment at the same time. Dawn began her response by addressing the original question but eventually branched off into discussing Kamilla's recent demeanor and how that might be tied into where she's leaning with her future decision.

"Kamilla's growing and maturing and trying to figure things out. Trying to see if these are her last college days. You know, whether she's going to take the step and go to the other side of playing professional basketball like all of our players that are are fortunate enough to be in that decision-making phase. It preys on you. It really does," Dawn explained. "I think she's enjoying this team, like really, really enjoying this team so much that I think it's her last days [as a Gamecock]. I think, but she's enjoying it so much that she probably doesn't want to let go because she's having so much fun with this team. So whatever she decides, I'm going to be happy for her, 'cause I know she's going to be a top pick. I know that her days, her better days, are ahead of her."

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