Also Cardoso is the 2nd tallest player on the team. Apparently Thompson had a slight growth spurt and is 6'10.
Gamecocks 2022, Part II
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is that what her slate said?
triaddukefan
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I commend your program for putting NC A&T on the schedule. I know its a long shot, but it would be cool if it were a home and home. With State, and A&T.... yall minus well go ahead and put Duke and High Point on the schedule.... so yall can face the top 4 teams in the state of Big Carolina.
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Raven hiding her height...
everyone looks in good shape. Interesting to see whether the juniors improved more this off-season than last when covid shut it down.
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I'm trying to read between the lines. 10 of 14 non-conference games confirmed. It looks like November is mostly filled. I think there is one open slot after Battle 4 Atlantis. Has it been confirmed that NC State is the season opener?
So it looks like we're mostly trying to fill up December with 3-4 more games or possibly one in November of which Duke and Stanford could become candidates?
As for the minutes distribution I agree with most of the replies here, in that Boston, Henderson and Cooke will continue to be the key players for the team this upcoming season. I also agree with one poster who said that their extended minutes were the downfall of the team. I think the added depth will help reduce the loads for these three ladies.
Having said all that, I actually believe that Beal, based on the assumption that her offensive game has improved along with her confidence to the the point that she is no longer the fifth option on the floor, will be the player with the most minutes on the team. She's so good at everything else, especially defense (very important for Dawn) that I can't see her losing much minutes especially with Lele gone for much of the season unless someone like Rivers or Hall is really killing it early on.
The biggest wildcards that will really set this team apart from others are the rotational players who didn't start last season along with Cardoso. Specifically Amihere, Littleton and Russell. I still hold that Amihere has the biggest upside of any player on the team, it's just a matter of putting it all together, her significant minutes and impact for Team Canada should give her a new found confidence. Cardoso's upside is almost on par to Amihere but I hadn't watched enough of her games besides a handful of Syracuse games and the Americup to gauge if she's on par to become the next Cambage or Griner. Littleton another year removed from her surgery an off-season of conditioning could see her finally see her potential as an elite scorer. Then there's Russell who Dawn thinks highly of, but as the lone Freshman last season she didn't get much playing time, I wouldn't be surprised if she's more impactful than some here have suggested. I doubt she came back here to sit on the bench, I think she'll come with a chip on her shoulder and really surprise some folks.
As for the freshman, I feel like at least one of the guards should make a impact. I think Raven's game is a perfect supplement to Henderson's and should get decent minutes and Rivers/Hall will minutes likely come depending on the play of Russell/Littleton and perhaps Beal. Whereas Feagin will likely some minutes rounding out the 4 and likely some 5 if the matchup allows it.
Overall I think this team has a lot of potential and talent and could go a number of different ways and still succeed.
Having said all that, I actually believe that Beal, based on the assumption that her offensive game has improved along with her confidence to the the point that she is no longer the fifth option on the floor, will be the player with the most minutes on the team. She's so good at everything else, especially defense (very important for Dawn) that I can't see her losing much minutes especially with Lele gone for much of the season unless someone like Rivers or Hall is really killing it early on.
The biggest wildcards that will really set this team apart from others are the rotational players who didn't start last season along with Cardoso. Specifically Amihere, Littleton and Russell. I still hold that Amihere has the biggest upside of any player on the team, it's just a matter of putting it all together, her significant minutes and impact for Team Canada should give her a new found confidence. Cardoso's upside is almost on par to Amihere but I hadn't watched enough of her games besides a handful of Syracuse games and the Americup to gauge if she's on par to become the next Cambage or Griner. Littleton another year removed from her surgery an off-season of conditioning could see her finally see her potential as an elite scorer. Then there's Russell who Dawn thinks highly of, but as the lone Freshman last season she didn't get much playing time, I wouldn't be surprised if she's more impactful than some here have suggested. I doubt she came back here to sit on the bench, I think she'll come with a chip on her shoulder and really surprise some folks.
As for the freshman, I feel like at least one of the guards should make a impact. I think Raven's game is a perfect supplement to Henderson's and should get decent minutes and Rivers/Hall will minutes likely come depending on the play of Russell/Littleton and perhaps Beal. Whereas Feagin will likely some minutes rounding out the 4 and likely some 5 if the matchup allows it.
Overall I think this team has a lot of potential and talent and could go a number of different ways and still succeed.
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Cardoso has great hands and runs as well as anyone on the team and is 6'7. I think she might have the most upside on the team.
then there is the 6'5 All American who hasn't yet shown a dominant post offense game, has been extending her range, and might be in the best shape of her life.
I will take both as higher upside players personally.
then there is the 6'5 All American who hasn't yet shown a dominant post offense game, has been extending her range, and might be in the best shape of her life.
I will take both as higher upside players personally.
Griner and Liz don't run the floor anywhere near as well as Cardosa. Watched all her games last year, she has the potential if she extends her range to be as good as any center who has played.
She's only 6'4.5 lol but she's done so well so far which is why I didn't put her in the conservation, her room to grow isn't as significant as the other two.
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I will say the one observation of Cardoso I have when she played uconn was her in game shape and her defense all things that can be fixed but they definitely weren’t up to par just from observation. Excited to see what Dawn throws out on the floor next season and our potential 2 matchups!
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I think based on the ACCN games I watched after she committed that you are right that she has work to do defensively, especially when she has to hedge to the perimeter.
not sure about conditioning.
but man she can run, and catch, and convert buckets in transition smoothly. A little bit of post game too I thought.
not sure how much dedicated weight work she's gotten with the travel this summer.
coach will improve her defense or we'll continue to see Saxton/Amihere a fair amount.
she's a decent bet for the All American center at some point.
SCGamecock
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Eligible for 3 more years in the program… I can see her staying two for sure. By her Junior/senior year she could be something special… potentially 1st team AA.
I thought she has 4 years left due to Covid providing everyone an extra year?
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So, kind of off-topic, but yesterday my wife and I were opening a new checking/savings account at Founders Credit Union in Lancaster County, SC (Indian Land.) The guy helping us was a HUGE Gamecocks fan. Since I went to Texas A&M and my wife and I are big UConn fans, we all had a lively good time. He's a big Dawn Staley fan too. Anyway, thought it would be cool to tell you guys we had a great time talking.
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Looking at recent schedules going back to ‘14-‘15, the first games of the season were played between 11/10-15, with the exception of ‘19-‘20 when USC played Alabama St on 11/5 before the Maryland game on the 10th. Odds are, State will be the first game, but there’s still room for 4 more non-conference games to add to reach the 14 games USC typically schedules. It’s not out of the question a game could be squeezed in between an exhibition, which are typically played at the beginning of the month, and the Raleigh trip.
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She does.
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Texas AM grad, UConn fan, living in York County.
interesting story there. Glad you had fun taking WCBB. Unthinkable 10 years ago. Dawn has done a lot.
cockhrnleghrn
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Theoretically, but she'll get drafted as soon as she's eligible.
SCGamecock
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I figured 3 is more likely. Don't think we keep her for four years.
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Retired Military, also a military brat growing up. We settled in Texas when I was still a kid. My sister went to Texas and I went to A&M. Stationed in rotten Groton for 13 years, daughter went to UConn. Came to Lancaster County, SC to take a job 10 years ago. We love it here. Been a fun ride. Here in my neck of the woods, you have Clemson fans and SC fans. Like I said earlier, when we opened the Founders account, they had 3 options for our sharecheck cards. Plain blue, SC Gamecocks or Clemson Tigers. I asked for a Texas A&M one, but was shunned! LOL
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