South Carolina women's basketball: Kamilla Cardoso leads Brazil to a gold medal, captures MVP honors
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Kamilla Cardoso was named tournament MVP after leading Brazil to a gold medal at the FIBA South America Championship.
Brazil easily made the final, winning its first four games in blowouts, but the gold medal game against Argentina was a nail-biter. Brazil won the game 69-68 thanks to a layup with less than a second to go, and then a blocked shot by Cardoso on an attempted game-winner at the buzzer.
Argentina led for much of the game, but a huge third quarter from Cardoso sparked a comeback. She finished with 15 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks.
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For the tournament, Cardoso averaged 14.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 1.2 assists. She reached a double-double in three of the five games, the most of any player. Cardoso was second among all players in scoring and rebounding, and tied for the lead in blocked shots, despite playing less than 20 minutes per game. She also led all players in efficiency rating.
Cardoso is emerging as a rising star for Brazil. She also played in the World Cup Qualifying Tournament, which caused her to miss three games for South Carolina last season. Brazil went winless and did not qualify for the World Cup, but Cardoso was named to the all-tournament team. She averaged 11.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in that tournament. Cardoso was also on the 2021 Brazilian AmeriCup team that took home a bronze medal.
6-7 Cardoso averaged 5.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks last season. She had one of her best games of the season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Miami when she chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. Cardoso transferred to South Carolina after one season at Syracuse, where she was first-team All-ACC and the ACC Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 13.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks.
Cardoso was too passive at times last season, often deferring to her teammates. On a few occasions, Dawn Staley publicly begged Cardoso to shoot more often. That wasn’t a problem for Cardoso during the South America Championship. She played with more aggression and confidence and didn’t seem worried about missing a shot.
Cardoso is one of two current Gamecocks competing for her national team. Laeticia Amihere is a member of the Canadian senior national team. She played in the Tokyo Olympics and also missed time last season for the World Cup qualifying tournament. Canada qualified for the World Cup, which is from September 22-October 1 in Sydney, Australia. Amihere will likely compete in the World Cup as well.
