“Big Void”: Dawn Staley Warns of Major Challenge Without Kamilla Cardoso in South Carolina’s NCAA Title Defense

“Now that I’ve been through it? Now that we’re on the other side?… I thought it was great,” the South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley remarked after she had secured the Championship title last year. Staley didn’t have the opportunity to touch the trophy during her playing days but has three NCAA D1 titles to her credit as a coach. As she prepares for a potential consecutive title this year, the 54-year-old acknowledges that she will face significant challenges to once again cut down the nets.

On an episode of GamecockCentral Takeover on Friday, Staley revealed one major obstacle hindering their title quest.

“It’s difficult. I don’t think our second unit is performing cohesively for us. This particular team is lacking energy and chemistry. We need to figure out how to address this because they all deserve to start and would likely perform better in that role,” Staley explained.

Staley has retained nearly the same team from last season, apart from center Kamilla Cardoso. Standing at 6-foot-7, Cardoso posed a challenge for opponents in the paint. Despite finding talent in Joyce Edwards, the team is struggling to build chemistry. The statistics show that the team is performing adequately for now.

“Breaking up the guard trio is challenging. Chloe has been outstanding, and Feagin has shown improvement as the most experienced post player on the team. Joyce is versatile, Maryam is still finding her footing, and adding a different element. The question lies in the post play, and Feagin has stepped up. She has worked hard, shed some weight, and needs to start better for us. The absence of Kamilla is significant,” Staley concluded.

The Gamecocks have won both exhibition games, defeating Memphis 106-63 and Clayton State 126-42. However, Staley feels a sense of nostalgia regarding Cardoso’s absence.

Cardoso was instrumental in the team’s success last year, averaging 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She was drafted by the Chicago Sky as the third overall pick. Staley believes the team is missing the energy Cardoso brought to the game, which is a sentiment she shared last year as well.

Initial Displeasure with Championship-winning Team by Dawn Staley

“I didn’t think they were initially hard workers… I felt like they were tarnishing our legacy,” Staley reflected on her first impressions of last year’s team. She was disappointed in her players, noting a lack of seriousness.

They would ignore her texts, arrive late to practice, and engage in chatter while training, giving Staley the impression that they were ill-prepared for the challenges ahead. Additionally, they had lost key players from the previous season.

Before the 2023-24 season, the Gamecocks lost Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, and Brea Beal to the draft, the trio that led them to the Championship in 2021-22. This resulted in significant differences when comparing the two teams. However, the team from last year remained undefeated at 38-0, bringing tears to Staley’s eyes when they won the title.

The current situation mirrors last year’s dynamic. The Gamecocks have won a title but lost a key player and possibly more, leading Staley to doubt if the team is up for the challenge. However, she reminds us of her sentiments after last year’s victory, stating, “Now that I’ve been through it? Now that we’re on the other side?… I thought it was great.”