GREENVILLE, S.C. — Kamilla Cardoso’s South Carolina teammates have consistently encouraged the 6-foot-7 center to assert herself in games.
“You’ve got to be dominant,” they tell her. “You can’t go out there being passive. You’re under the basket: go up, score. Take those midrange shots.”
Cardoso soaked in that advice all season long, and it paid dividends for her.
Cardoso was named the SEC’s Sixth Woman of the Year on Tuesday, and also earned a nod for All-SEC second-team honors. She scored 14 points and hauled in eight rebounds off the bench in South Carolina's 93-66 win on Friday against Arkansas.
“It’s just a quiet 14 (points),” senior guard Olivia Thompson said. “Everything she does, she’s just dominant. It’s not really loud or flashy. She just gets it done.”
Cardoso was the ACC Freshman of the Year in her first college season when she played for Syracuse, averaging 13.6 points and eight rebounds. Dawn Staley recruited Cardoso out of high school and finally landed her in 2021 through the transfer portal.
Upon her arrival, she quickly noticed the increased level of talent on the Gamecocks roster.
“Everybody here is a great player. We have so much depth,” Cardoso said. “Everyone from the bench can come in and play.”
She played 13.3 minutes per game during last year’s national championship run. Since then, Staley and the rest of the team have asked her to contribute even more.
Cardoso listened, worked on her game throughout the offseason and has shown her improvement in practice.
Her increased focus has correlated with an jump in her statistics across the board, earning the recognition from the SEC.
“It feels great,” Cardoso said. “I think I was working hard for it and I’m more confident now, and I’m taking better shots. So I think that was one of the reasons that I got it.”
Fifth-year senior Victaria Saxton made it a point to help Cardoso in that journey to an increased confidence. She does what she can to give her positive reinforcement for her production.
Saxton believes Cardoso’s self-belief directly correlates to her production on both ends of the floor.
“It’s always exciting to see all of my teammates get awards,” Saxton said. “It just makes me smile, honestly.”
Cardoso has turned in seven double-doubles off the bench for South Carolina, and has three games with four blocks or more. When she establishes positioning under the rim, her offensive production becomes difficult to limit.
A standout performance this season included her second-quarter heroics against UConn, where she scored 11 points in that stretch and allowed South Carolina to tie the game at halftime and eventually win by four.
Cardoso’s production speaks volumes about the team as a whole, senior guard Brea Beal said. Cardoso’s ability to grow as a player is one of the chief reasons the Gamecocks are 30-0 and in position to make another deep postseason run.
“Just being on the inside and seeing the player she’s become, and I’ve only known her for two years,” Beal said. “Just to see her fluctuate and finally hit that top spot and be dominant.”
The Gamecocks need two more wins to secure the SEC tournament title, and then it’s on to the NCAAs.
Cardoso’s play should serve as an added lift for South Carolina in those efforts. For now, consistent with the team’s goal all year, she’s looking toward the next task at hand.
“We just did every little thing that Coach (Staley) asks for,” Cardoso said about Friday’s game. “I think we all are just very happy with the win, and we’re trying to get focused for the next one.”
