GREENVILLE, S.C. — It’s almost impossible, even on an elite basketball team, for a 6-foot-7 player to hide in plain sight. But in South Carolina practices last season, that’s exactly what Kamilla Cardoso attempted to do. When the players lined up, even among the bigs, Cardoso sunk her shoulders and dipped her head enough to make sure didn’t look like the tallest player on the court.
When reporters came around, Cardoso happily retreated into the background, letting the stars around her take center stage. And when interview requests did come her way, she almost always declined.
When Cardoso transferred to South Carolina from Syracuse during the summer of 2021, the Gamecocks coaches pretty much all had the same impression: Cardoso didn’t realize exactly how good she could be. But they also knew, for her to get to that point — or even close to that point — she needed to embrace her size and potential.
Immediately, the staff began building her confidence. They told her how good she could be and how important she was to the team, how if she shouldered more of the big moments, it would help South Carolina. In practices, when she caught the ball, everyone often shouted, “Shoot it, Kamilla!” The attention sometimes startled her, and she’d pass off the ball, shrugging…
