South Carolina draft picks 2024: Full list of drafted players from the Gamecocks

Off an undefeated season and a national championship, the 2024 WNBA Draft seemed likely to be a big night for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

A season ago, the Gamecocks had four players chosen in the Draft, including No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston. As things turned out, 2024 was fairly quiet for South Carolina in the Draft world.

Much of the issue was with players electing to return. Senior guard Te-hina Paopao may have been a late first-round pick had she elected to go to the WNBA. Instead, Paopao chose to return to South Carolina for another season. The Oregon transfer will have a fifth year of college eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senior Sakima Walker, likewise, elected to return to school. Walker, who played sparingly off the bench, might not have been a WNBA Draft pick regardless. But by taking her name out of the Draft entrants, she removed any shot at being chosen this year.

---

Complete list of drafted players from South Carolina

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley

Round 1 Picks

Center Kamilla Cardoso (Round 1, pick 3)

The Chicago Sky nabbed the six-foot-seven Cardoso with the third pick in the WNBA Draft.

Cardoso was chosen behind only Iowa's all-everything whiz Caitlin Clark and Stanford's Cameron Brink. Brink and Cardoso were rumored to both be possibilities at the second pick, but Brink's more diverse offensive game may have paved the way for Chicago's pick.

It probably also helped that the Sky had traded up for the seventh pick, which they used to select LSU power forward Angel Reese, who along with Cardoso, figure to overtake the Sky's frontcourt veterans and propel the team to the playoffs. They join forces with returnees Kahleah Copper (18.7 ppg), point guard Courtney Williams (10.4 ppg, 6.3 APG, 6.0 RPG) and guard Marina Mabrey (15.0 ppg).

For Cardoso, going third was a fitting end to an impressive collegiate career. Cardoso, who hails from Brazil, went to high school in Tennessee and began her college career at Syracuse. After a season there, she transferred to South Carolina.

Under coach Dawn Staley, Cardoso played entirely off the bench for two seasons. She grew into a larger role in 2022-23, winning the sixth person of the year for the SEC. In 2023-24, she was Carolina's leading scorer (14.4 ppg) and rebounder (9.7 rpg).

Her size and ability to alter shots (263 collegiate blocks) made her a highly desirable Draft pick. Cardoso is still raw offensively, scoring mostly on put-backs and lay-ins. She's just a 66% free throw shooter and was 1-for-2 on 3-point shots in college.

Pairing Cardoso with Angel Reese will likely benefit both players. Reese won't have to be a small center and will be a bit more free to flex her athleticism and physicality. Cardoso won't have to chase around as many out-on-the-floor scoring threats and should be able to do more in protecting the rim and cleaning the glass.

Will Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese lead the Sky back to the WNBA playoffs? Let's hear your thoughts below in the comments section below.