Cardoso getting attention during NCAA title hunt
CLEVELAND — Her frizzy hair dyed a maroon closely matching South Carolina’s garnet, Kamilla Cardoso was impossible to miss as she stood near mid-court inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday night.
At 6-foot-7, it’s not like she blends in.
The center of attention. In some circles, the mean girl.
With the biggest game of the season minutes away, Cardoso showed no nerves on the Final Four stage. She owned it by dancing, showing off soccer dribbling skills developed in her native Brazil and then trying several times to shoot the ball off the giant scoreboard hanging 100 feet above her head. Cardoso being Cardoso. “She’s just silly,” said teammate Ashlyn Watkins, “and she’s always doing crazy stuff like that for no reason.”
Maybe misunderstood by opponents and outsiders, Cardoso, who left her family behind in 2016 at just 15 to pursue her dream of playing highlevel basketball in the U.S., is the main reason the undefeated Gamecocks (37-0) are favored to win their second national title in three years on Sunday when they face Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark.
The Hawkeyes (34-4) don’t have anyone who can physically match up with Cardoso. Nobody does.
In Friday’s first semifinal, Cardoso almost singlehandedly wrecked North Carolina State by scoring 22 points in 23 minutes, shaking off a right leg injury as the Gamecocks advanced with a 78-59 win to set up a rematch against Iowa.
She scored South Carolina’s first 12 points in the second quarter and had six more in the Gamecocks’ 29-6 onslaught in the third.
It was the kind of performance the Gamecocks have always wanted and not always gotten from Cardoso, who is skipping her final college year for the WNBA.
When Cardoso is unstoppable, so is America’s best squad.
“It makes us a way better team,” Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson said. “When we can play through her, it makes the guards better. Just look at her, she’s 6-7. There’s really no one out there like her. She’s really a key to this team and when she brings her ‘A’ game every day, I don’t see anyone who is going to stop her.”
Cardoso wasn’t available for interviews Saturday. A team spokesman said she was receiving medical treatment during the media breakout sessions.
But Cardoso, who had 14 points and 14 rebounds in last year’s Final Four loss to Iowa, didn’t seem to be bothered by her leg during an open practice that drew thousands of fans. She moved easily and usually with a smile as the Gamecocks went through drills.
There have been highs and lows all season for Cardoso.
With the Gamecocks in danger of losing to Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, she banked in the first 3-pointer of her career — only her second attempt after a miss for Syracuse in 2020 — at the buzzer to beat the Lady Vols.
“Her presence inside has done so much for us,” guard Te-Hina Paopao said. “I’m really excited for her journey. We’ve got one more.”