A few weeks ago, Dawn Staley confessed that South Carolina’s preseason had been a bit of a mess.
If a dominant 100-71 win over No. 10 Notre Dame in Paris is what messy looks like for the No. 6 Gamecocks, the rest of college basketball is in for a world of trouble when they clean up.
South Carolina lost all five starters to graduation and another key bench player to the WNBA after the 2022-23 season. Even though this was one of the deepest rosters in the nation last year, there was an understanding that it might take some time for the Gamecocks to regroup without Aliyah Boston, the former national Player of the Year and the team’s leading scorer in 2022-23, among others.
Instead, the statement sent on opening day was that South Carolina is a program that continues to reload; players may come and go, but the Gamecocks will remain a national power.
The reserves who often didn’t have a chance to see the court have been preparing for larger roles. New additions to the program recognize the standard that has been set. The goal of a powerhouse program is to maintain the level of play no matter who suits up, and that’s what South Carolina was able to do in its debut.
Without Boston in the middle, Kamilla Cardoso has assumed the mantle as the uncontainable paint presence. In her…
