Cardoso Named to Lisa Leslie Award Watch List
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior Kamilla Cardoso is one of 20 candidates named to the 2024 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award Preseason Watch List, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today. In its seventh season, this award recognizes the top center in women’s NCAA Div. I college basketball and has been won by a Gamecock five times.
Cardoso emerged as a dominant force in the SEC and the nation last season, especially on the glass. The 6-foot-7 center finished third in the country in offensive rebounding percentage (.208) and seventh in total rebounding percentage (.232). Pulling in 8.5 rebounds per game, she was 21st in the NCAA in offensive rebounds (3.72) and came in 28th in blocks per game (1.94). That production came in addition to her 9.8 points per game while playing just 18.8 minutes per game. Cardoso exploded in the postseason, averaging nearly a double-double in the SEC Tournament (13.0 pp, 9.3 rpg) and capping her NCAA Tournament with a 14-point, 14-rebound effort in the Final Four. In addition to her SEC Sixth Woman of the Year recognition, she was an All-SEC Second-Team selection and an All-America Honorable Mention.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. In late January, the watch list of 20 players will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Leslie and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, where a winner will be selected. Throughout the process, players will have the ability to play themselves on or off the lists until the five finalists are selected. Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds, starting Fri., Oct. 20.
The 2024 Lisa Leslie Award winner will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward) and Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward), in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
South Carolina will host an exhibition game against Rutgers on Sun., Oct. 22, as the two programs honor former assistant coach Nikki McCray-Penson, who passed away over the summer. Tipoff at Colonial Life Arena is set for 1 p.m.
The Gamecocks will officially open the 2023-24 season in an historic way, playing #10/10 Notre Dame in Paris, France, on Nov. 6. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN with a 1 p.m. ET tipoff. South Carolina’s regular-season schedule includes 11 games against teams ranked in at least one of the two national polls, including five games in the season’s first five weeks.
For more information on 2023-24 women’s basketball season tickets, which start at $55, visit https://thegamecockclub.com/wbb/. To purchase season tickets, visit https://am.ticketmaster.com/gamecocks/virtual-venue/V0IyNA==. To purchase a Community Supporter ticket to donate to underrepresented communities in the Columbia area, visit https://fevo.me/wb24communitysupporter.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on South Carolina women’s basketball.
2024 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award Preseason Watch List
Raegen Beers, Oregon St.
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Cameron Brink, Stanford
Kennedy Brown, Duke
Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
Jessika Carter, Mississippi St.
Maria Gakdeng, North Carolina
Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana
Taiyanna Jackson, Kansas
Taylor Jones, Texas
Tamari Key, Tennessee
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech
Ila Lane, Cal
Ayoka Lee, Kansas St.
Alexis Markowski, Nebraska
Rayah Marshall, Southern Cal
Bella Murekatete, Washington St.
Sedona Prince, TCU
Liz Scott, Oklahoma
Desi-Rae Young, UNLV
