South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso is the center of attention for the title-hunting Gamecocks

When Cardoso is unstoppable, America’s best team cannot be stopped

CLEVELAND (AP) – Kamilla Cardoso, her frizzy hair dyed a burgundy color closely matching South Carolina’s navy blue, couldn’t be missed as she stood near half court at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday night.

At 6 feet 7 inches tall, she doesn’t appear like she blends in.

Spotlight. In some circles, a mean girl.

Minutes before the biggest game of the season, Cardoso showed no nerves on the Final Four stage. She achieved this by dancing, showing off her soccer dribbling skills developed in her native Brazil, after which repeatedly attempting to shoot the ball off an enormous scoreboard hanging 30 meters above her head.

Cardoso is Cardoso.

“She’s just stupid,” said teammate Ashlyn Watkins, “and she always does crazy stuff like that for no reason.”

Perhaps misunderstood by opponents and outsiders alike, Cardoso, who left her family in 2016 at the age of just 15 to pursue her dream of playing basketball at a high level in the U.S., is a serious reason why the undefeated Gamecocks (37- 0) are favored to win their second national title in three years on Sunday once they face Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark.

The Hawkeyes (34-4) haven’t got anyone who can physically match Cardoso.

Nobody does this.

In Friday’s first semifinal, Cardoso almost single-handedly took down North Carolina State, scoring 22 points in 23 minutes and shaking off a right leg injury, as the Gamecocks advanced with a 78-59 victory and arrange a rematch with Iowa.

She scored South Carolina’s first 12 points in the second quarter and had six more in the third quarter as the Gamecocks went on a 29-6 run.

It was the kind of performance the Gamecocks have at all times wanted and have not at all times gotten from Cardoso, who is coming off her senior yr of college with the WNBA.

When Cardoso is unstoppable, America’s best team cannot be stopped.

“It makes us a much better team,” Gamecocks defenseman Raven Johnson said. “When we can play through her, the guards get better. Just look at her, she’s 6-7 years old. There really is no one like her. She is truly key to this team and when she brings her A game every day, I don’t see anyone being able to stop her.

Cardoso was not available for interviews on Saturday. A team spokesman said she was receiving medical attention during press sessions.

But Cardoso, who had 14 points and 14 rebounds in last year’s Final Four loss to Iowa, didn’t seem concerned about her leg during an open practice that drew thousands of fans. She moved freely and usually with a smile as the Gamecocks went through drills.

Cardoso has had ups and downs throughout the season.

With the Gamecocks in danger of losing to Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, she made the first 3-pointer of her career – her second attempt after missing a game against Syracuse in 2020 – to defeat the Lady Vols.

The next day, Cardoso gained attention for all the wrong reasons.

Tensions simmered during a heated matchup with LSU, and Tigers star Angel Reese was caught on TV pulling Cardoso’s hair, leading to laughter from the stars. Moments later, LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson shoved Watkins and Cardoso flew to her teammate’s side, pushing Johnson to the floor.

Both benches emptied, women’s basketball deteriorated and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley apologized. Cardoso did the same, but was suspended for her first-round NCAA tournament game against Presbyterian.

The incident did not help Cardoso’s image, which her teammates say is unfair.

“She’s just something different,” guard Bree Hall said. “I think it’s unfortunate that the media labeled her as a vile person. Is not. She is a beautiful Brazilian fighter. She is so sweet, always smiling, always happy for all of us.

“She’s a very funny, just happy and cheerful person.”

It took a while for Cardoso to fit in with the Gamecocks.

When she left Brazil eight years ago, she only knew three words in English – “hello”, “yes” and “bye”. Although she later became more comfortable when she arrived on campus in 2021, there were awkward moments as she tried to learn more about her teammates and vice versa.

“I remember she didn’t know any English,” Johnson said. “She looked at us like we were weird. I thought to myself, “Why is she looking at us like that?” Over the years, she started learning English and her progress kept getting better and better.”

Once the language gap was bridged, Cardoso’s personality modified from gruff to sweet.

“She was so mean when she came here,” Johnson said. “She was so mean to us. It developed over time.”

Just like her game. Cardoso hasn’t at all times embraced the idea of ​​being the Gamecocks’ leading lady, although she leads the team in scoring and rebounding. Her tournament scoring average is 17.0 points per game, which is higher than her season average of 14.3

“Her presence inside did so much for us,” said guard Te-Hina Paopao. “It was a lot of fun watching her develop throughout the season. It was great fun watching her and experiencing her. As summer came, she didn’t want to be as dominant as she was now.

“It’s a wonderful sight. I’m very excited about her journey. We have one more. I know she will dominate (Sunday).”

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