Dawn Staley and Kamilla Cardoso – Source: Kirby Lee, Imagn

Over her 17 years at the helm of the South Carolina Gamecocks coaching, Dawn Staley has amassed a long list of star alumnae. This includes names such as Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston and Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, who won the 2022 national championship together with Staley.

In an interview with WGN News back in June 2024, Staley shared a text she received from Boston when the forward faced her national title teammate for the first time in the WNBA.

“When she played against a teammate of her’s, Aaliyah Boston, a couple of games ago, I got a text message from Aaliyah. The first thing she says is, ‘Kamilla’s so strong. I can’t move her.’

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“You can’t move her. I know this, three years ago when she came to South Carolina, you could move her where you wanted her to go,” she said. (Timestamp: 1:18)

The young stars in the league are poised to take huge leaps in their development in the next season, in large part due to the development they experienced under the 54-year-old. With this in play, there’s more intense matchups surely to come from as time passes.

For now, Staley is focused on developing her next set of Gamecocks standouts such as Te-Hina Paopao and MiLaysia Fulwiley. The defending champions are 16-1 overall in the 2024-2025 season and are hoping for a national championship repeat come March.

Dawn Staley believes that the Kamilla Cardoso-Angel Reese tandem is flawless

Given Aliyah Boston’s text message to her former coach, it can be seen that Kamilla Cardoso has drastically improved in her skillset from the collegiate ranks to the WNBA. But, now with the Chicago Sky, it seems as though that Cardoso has found a new running mate in former college rival Angel Reese.

With this, Dawn Staley asserts all of her confidence that this frontcourt pairing of the stalwarts will merit great results for the Sky, sharing:

“They’re perfect. The Chicago Sky hit the jackpot when they were able to get those two. Angel and Kamilla together is a formidable frontcourt for the next four years…I promise you, they have a long, fruithful time together to develop and grow, and take this league by storm,” she expressed. (3:10)

The next WNBA season will have Cardoso’s second year in the league as she will have the opportunity to advance towards the hefty expectations her college coach has set for her. In Staley’s case, she and the rest of the Gamecocks will visit the Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday, Jan. 16, for another conference matchup.