Dawn Staley calls on Kamilla Cardoso to 'play big for us' vs. Iowa, Caitlin Clark

Just ahead of the NCAA Women’s National Championship game, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley caught up with ESPN reporter Holly Rowe.

The Gamecocks are on the brink of destiny — one title win away from completing an undefeated 38-0 season. But the last team standing in their way is also the last team to beat them: Iowa, who slayed Carolina in the Final Four a year ago.

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Ahead of the game, when asked which Gamecock player needs to step up this afternoon to reverse the result this time around, Staley pointed directly to her star player inside:

“Kamilla’s got to play big for us,” Staley said of 6’7 center and lead scorer Kamilla Cardoso. “She’s the one that gives us the mismatch. She can score in the paint. She’s got to bring the same physicality and want and poise and desire to score the basketball like she did from start to finish against NC State.”

The Hawkeyes certainly don’t have the length and size down low that South Carolina does, which is why Cardoso could feast in this title matchup to lead South Carolina to glory.

But she’s not the only factor. Because when it comes to playing for history — a national title and undefeated year — there can be some great pressure on the shoulders of the players, especially a star like Cardoso. That’s why Staley says she and the staff have tried to make sure the pressure is on them, not the players, who instead can play loose and free.

“The same way they approach all games this season, like, they play free, I mean, they’re loose,” Staley answered when asked about South Carolina’s mindset heading into the game.

“I think the coaches take on the tightness and the coaches take on anything they would feel opposite of free. So, if I would have it any other way, I would have it exactly the way it is, because they’re free, they’re young, they wanna win, they only see winning and they only see what they need to do to win, and I like a team that’s focused just on winning.”

For some South Carolina players, though, this win potentially coming against Iowa is exciting after it was the Hawkeyes who ended their season last spring. But Staley doesn’t necessarily get caught up in all that.

“I’m gonna let our players do what they do. Obviously, we’re going to approach it like any other game that we want to win. Obviously, it’s a lot at stake. I mean, Raven, these kids have heavy loads that they bear when they lose basketball games, and things that they identify with losing. They want an opportunity to rectify, so it clears the air and the slate with them.”

A chance at redemption and history all at once in this national final for South Carolina.