Chicago Sky’s Kamilla Cardoso stands in front of Fever crowd after injury update, Caitlin Clark
The Chicago Sky are gearing up for an intense matchup against Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever on Saturday. Moreover, Chicago is in line to receive big help from 2024 third overall pick Kamilla Cardoso after the team provided a game-changing injury update on the star center.
After missing nearly the first month of regular season action, Cardoso has been upgraded to probable/available for the Sky-Fever game, Chicago announced on Friday evening. If everything goes according to plan, the 6’7″center should provide a significant interior boost to Chicago.
Kamilla Cardoso played 13 minutes in the Sky’s first preseason against the Minnesota Lynx on May 3rd Unfortunately, she suffered a shoulder injury that saw her leave the contest. Chicago predicted that Cardoso would be out for roughly four to six weeks after the incident.
Cardoso bided her time recovering and eventually returned to practice in late May. She and head coach Teresa Weatherspoon predicted a targeted return date of June 1st, the same day as the Sky’s first regular season game against the Fever.
Thankfully, Cardoso has progressed well and plans to make her official WNBA debut against Caitlin Clark in Indiana on Saturday. The former South Carolina Gamecock’s stout inside scoring, rebounding, and rim protection significantly boosts a Sky team that already possesses the services of veteran center Elizabeth Williams.
Cardoso started her college career with the Syracuse Orange in 2020, where she built an excellent foundation. The towering center averaged 13.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and a collegiate career high of 2.7 blocks per game during her freshman year. After a respectable year of production, Cardoso decided to join the highly respected South Carolina women’s basketball team.
The Gamecocks were already one of the best programs in the nation, and Cardoso’s support helped them further ascend. Her sophomore and junior years with the team were a work in progress. After amassing 5.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game during the 2021-22 season, Cardoso improved to 9.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 2022-23.
Then, Cardoso had a breakout year during her senior season. She notched a career-high 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds to go with 2.5 blocks. In addition, she helped the Gamecocks go undefeated the entire season to capture the program’s third championship.
Cardoso came up huge in the national title game against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. She
finished the game with a commanding 15-point-17 rebound double-double. Cardoso’s paint presence helped South Carolina remain dominant all year long.
Not too long after, the star center entered the 2024 WNBA Draft, where the Chicago Sky selected her with the third overall pick. Cardoso completely changes Chicago’s two-way attack. Her presence alongside Angel Reese and veteran center Elizabeth Williams will make the Sky one of the toughest interior matchups in the league.
Cardoso wants to pick up where she left off at South Carolina and help propel Chicago to success. It will be interesting to see how she fares against Caitlin Clark and the rest fo the WNBA’s highly-touted rookie class.
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