South Carolina women's basketball has a leadership void to fill
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The departure of South Carolina’s Freshies doesn’t just leave a void on the court, where the Gamecocks lose almost two-thirds of their scoring and minutes played. The Freshies also dictated the Gamecocks’ culture for four years.
There are several candidates to step into the leadership void, but it is still a work in progress.
Senior center Kamilla Cardoso is the most experienced and productive player on the roster. Junior Bree Hall and redshirt sophomore Raven Johnson have been groomed to become leaders this season. Senior transfer Te-Hina Paopao doesn’t have experience in Columbia, but the three-time All-Pac 12 selection was brought in partly for her veteran leadership.
There are also wild cards. Sania Feagin, Ashlyn Watkins, and Chloe Kitts have limited playing experience but made significant strides over the summer. Freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley is already turning heads.
Asking Hall to be vocal is easy. Her teammates joke that she never stops talking. The same goes for Paopao, who describes her leadership style as “vocal outburst.”
That isn’t the case with Cardoso, who is quiet and almost shy by nature. Getting her to be more assertive and vocal has been an ongoing task, and she is starting to respond.
“We know Kamilla has to step into the role of being our dominant post on the inside,” Staley said. “She’s got to also shoot from the outside as well. We’re working with her to embrace that role. She’s very unselfish. A lot of times, much like Aliyah this past season, would pass out to people who shoot half her field goal percentage. Can’t do that. You can’t. You’ve got to bet on yourself sometimes. We were working with Kamila to do that. For her for the next level (and) for us for this level right here. Because it’s something that she needed to add to her game.”
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Over the summer Cardoso led Brazil to a gold medal in the AmeriCup Tournament and was named the tournament MVP. The experience seems to have given Cardoso a confidence boost.
“Mila is now a voice,” Paopao said. “She feels comfortable to speak now. So I think just being able to be that vocal leader, and then have other players join you is a great attribute to have on this team.”
Cardoso wasn’t the only player that seemed to benefit from international competition. Raven Johnson was on the US team that lost to Brazil in the gold medal game. Additionally, Kitts helped lead the US to a gold at the U19 World Cup.
Kitts was one of the most productive and consistent players for the US. It was a big boost for a player who admitted at the end of last season that her confidence had been beaten up after enrolling in December. Now the experience Kitts got by enrolling early is paying off.
“She’s much further along because she came in last year,” Staley said. “Much further. She’s a much different player. She makes she makes good decisions. The offense flows when she’s in the game. She’s a worker. She’s a worker on both sides of the ball and she’s tough. She doesn’t back down from anybody. She’s no longer the timid Chloe.”
The light has also come on for Feagin and Watkins. Feagin was the fourth-ranked player in the 2021 class, but she was considered by many to have the most talent and most upside of anyone. She’s shown flashes in her first two seasons but has yet to earn consistent playing time.
That will change this season, and Feagin could be one of the team leaders.
“I hope she has a breakout season,” Staley said. “She’s practicing a lot better. Her name isn’t being called a whole lot like it was last year in that manner. It’s all good stuff. They somehow when they’ve had the opportunity to play a whole lot, they figure it out by the junior year. You should figure out whether or not you played a whole lot, but she’ll be able to step in and give us a boost, if not start.”
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Watkins was not as highly rated as Feagin, but ended up playing more last season because of her defense and hustle. Like Cardoso, however, Watkins is quiet and reserved by nature. Also like Cardoso, she is becoming more assertive.
During the summer, Paopao listed Watkins as one of the players who was taking charge. When the media was present after practice recently, Watkins stood in front of the entire team and addressed her teammates.
The most obvious leadership candidate, of course, is PG1 – Raven Johnson. The moment last season ended in Dallas, Staley said the Gamecocks are Raven’s team. She has embraced the responsibility, but Johnson said everyone has to be on the same page.
“I think it’s a team effort, not just me,” Johnson said. “If I’m buying in then everybody gotta buy in. I’m gonna need help with help with Paopao, Kamilla. It doesn’t have to be one specific leader, everybody can lead.”
While the players sort things out, Dawn Staley said it is up to the coaches to set the tone.
“Who we want to be the leader – we want Kamilla to be a leader, we want Breezy to be a leader, we want this team to collectively understand what they need to do, Staley said. “If you’re given a choice, err on the side of the right thing to do. That is an individual thing. Until we get that leadership part up to speed, coaches have to step in. We don’t mind that.”
