What does Kamilla Cardoso's absence mean for South Carolina women's basketball?

South Carolina Women’s Basketball: News • Recruiting • Schedule • Roster • Stats • SEC Standings • NCAA Polls • Scholarship Chart

---

Now that Kamilla Cardoso will officially miss South Carolina’s next two games, how will the Gamecocks adjust?

Cardoso averages 13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks, leading the Gamecocks in all three categories. It hurts to lose arguably their best player during the season’s stretch run, but Dawn Staley says it’s the price of success.

“We want the best players on our team, and sometimes the best players are the best players that represent another country,” Staley said. “When we recruited her we said that if there’s an opportunity to go with your national team, go with your national team.”

It isn’t the first time the Gamecocks have had a player miss time due to national team commitments. Laeticia Amihere missed part of preseason practice to attend Team Canada’s training camp. In 2020 she missed several games, including South Carolina’s first-ever win against UConn, to play for Canada in a tournament.

[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Ole Miss men’s basketball game]

“The last couple of years she went to the Canadian National Team training camp and competition, and she’s an Olympian,” Staley said. “It only makes us feel good.”

Cardoso’s absence still leaves a big hole in South Carolina’s lineup. There aren’t too many players like her in college basketball.

“She’s a difference-maker,” Staley said.

If the Gamecocks want to look for silver linings, there are a couple. Both games Cardoso is expected to miss are home games, so hopefully, the crowd can provide a boost, and both opponents play smaller lineups. 

The first game is against Missouri. The Tigers essentially play five guards and Cardoso tends to play less against Missouri so that Staley can play quicker defenders. Additionally, Hayley Frank, Missouri’s best player, missed Sunday’s game and is day-to-day with an injury.

Although South Carolina just made Cardoso’s absence official on Sunday, the Gamecocks have known about it for a while and have been preparing for it. Staley singled out Sania Feagin for putting in extra work in anticipation of extra playing time.

“We will feel the void that Kamilla leaves with us, but I’m sure that all the other post players are really preparing,” she said. “I think Feagin’s been preparing weeks prior to this happening now. She knew Kamilla was going with the national team so she started doing extra cardio probably for the past month. It was on her. It wasn’t something that we said go do extra, it was on her to be ready. We’ll call her number a lot.”

Ashlyn Watkins and Chloe Kitts have established themselves all season. Kitts started the first 19 games, and then when she was limited by illness, Watkins started the last two games and recorded consecutive double-doubles.

[On3 App: Get South Carolina push notifications from GamecockCentral]

It is also an opportunity for Sakima Walker. Walker hasn’t played much this season, but Staley emphasized that she has confidence in Walker. When Kitts was sidelined against Auburn, Staley didn’t hesitate to play Walker in the first half.

“Sakima doesn’t play a whole lot but it’s not because she’s not good, it’s because there are four other players at her position that have carved out a space to play,” Staley said. “I didn’t second-guess putting her in and she played extremely well.”

UConn doesn’t play as small as Missouri – the Huskies still have a post player in Aaliyah Edwards – but has gone to a small lineup with Paige Bueckers at forward. UConn may not be well-equipped to take advantage of Cardoso’s absence, but it eliminates perhaps South Carolina’s biggest advantage.

Staley could also make a radical adjustment and play four guards. She toyed with it briefly against Ole Miss, although foul trouble made it at least partly out of necessity. That lineup had Raven Johnson, Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall, Chloe Kitts, and either MiLaysia Fulwiley or Tessa Johnson. 

Staley hasn’t played four guards in a long time, if ever. Could it have been a tease of things to come?

Discuss South Carolina women’s basketball on The Insiders Forum!