Dawn Staley shares Kamilla Cardoso's emotions upon return to South Carolina

Kamilla Cardoso has conflicting feelings about her return to South Carolina. The 6-foot-7 standout missed the Gamecocks’ wins over Missouri and UConn last week while she was competing in the Olympic qualifiers for Brazil’s national team.

Cardoso was not able to push her national team to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. Nonetheless, she did earn a spot on the qualifiers’ five-person All-Star team. Ahead of Cardoso’s return on Thursday night, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley provided an update on how Cardoso was feeling.

“She’s sad. Her parents got a chance to see her play. That was a positive. But, she wanted to go to Paris,” Staley said on Wednesday. “Sometimes, when you don’t get what you want and your heart desires, it makes you a little upset. But hopefully, she can help us stay on the winning track.”

Cardoso has certainly helped so far. The Gamecocks are 23-0, most recently dominating UConn in an 18-point blowout. Cardoso has led the way for South Carolina this season, boasting team-highs of 13.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

Towering over opponents, Cardoso is a defensive force, as well. Cardoso averages 2.9 blocks per game, the eighth-most in the country. Fellow Gamecock Ashlyn Watkins trails just behind Cardoso in the national rankings, averaging 2.7 rejections per contest.

Cardoso has been absent for South Carolina, but hasn’t lost a step. Staley revealed if her star center will face any minute restrictions on Thursday evening.

“She doing great. Practice today looked good,” Staley said. “She might be on a little restriction, depending on how she plays and how she feels. But, she wanted to get out here and just get going a little bit.”

Other Gamecocks step up with Kamilla Cardoso gone

With Cardoso out last week, South Carolina was able to allow its role players to develop even further. In South Carolina’s 83-45 win over Missouri on Thursday, Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts both started together for the first time.

In the win, Watkins stuffed the stat sheet, tallying nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks. Not to be outdone, Kitts added 12 points, eight rebounds and five blocks to the Gamecocks’ winning effort.

Now, with Cardoso back, South Carolina will be ready to reach its full potential. Staley has no shortage of faith in her veteran leader.

“I’m sure Camilla knows what’s at stake,” Staley said. “She’s been around our program a long time. There’s probably nothing more that she wants than to win a couple more championships.”

Watch Kardoso make her return when South Carolina faces off against Tennessee at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.