What the Gamecocks learned (about themselves) in Paris
South Carolina women’s basketball made the most of its Paris trip in every sense of the phrase.
The Gamecocks toured the Eiffel Tower, meandered through the Louvre Museum and simply absorbed French culture. But perhaps the greatest takeaway was the lessons learned about and the bonds created among each other, allowing No. 6 USC to dominate No. 10 Notre Dame 100-71 on Monday in the City of Lights.
Coach Dawn Staley and her players spoke often about how unique the Paris game was. Not just because it marked a first for college basketball, but because of their off-court experiences.
“It’s pretty cool to get to know them more on that level and see our team grow to a cohesive unit,” Staley said.
She characterized this team as a tight-knit, funny group. They coordinate outfits for different events and adopt each other’s lingo. They make each other laugh. Senior center Kamilla Cardoso is the comedian of the bunch, Staley said, though she might not always intend to be.
Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao said so while reflecting on the “joy” of learning her teammates’ tendencies and personalities. So did Cardoso, who mentioned the Eiffel Tower tour and trip to the (Louvre) museum as highlights of her trip, but also the down time spent at the hotel with her teammates. These dynamics can’t help but carry over to the court.
Game One proved it.
Monday marked the first collegiate start for Cardoso, junior guard Bree Hall and sophomore forward Chloe Kitts. Paopao started for three years at Oregon but had never played a regular-season game in garnet, and sophomore guard Raven Johnson had started just three games last season before the 2023-24 opener.
It’s an inexperienced group. But it’s a group that scored 100 points on a top-10 opponent in the first game of the season an ocean away from home.
After the game, Staley kept coming back to how the Gamecocks shared the basketball. They had 70 points in the paint — 19 of which came from guards connecting with Cardoso in the post — and 29 assists, just six shy of a school record set 15 years before anyone on the current roster was born. One in particular stood out.
Five-star freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley slung a sideways pass to Paopao, threading the ball between two Irish defenders under the basket for a layup. Staley, herself a former point guard, threw her hands up in the air after the play and walked back toward the bench. She was clearly impressed.
After the game, Paopao said she didn’t realize Fulwiley could see her on the other side of the lane when she made that pass. But the fact that Paopao was ready proves these young women are really learning each other.
“The chemistry that they’re building is pretty special,” Staley said.
Staley told local reporters Friday she’d be open to participating in another international game like this in the future, but she wanted to wait and see how the team looked and felt come game time to be sure.
In the corner of a near-empty Halle Georges Carpentier Arena Monday night at about 10:30 Paris time, she faced the question a second time. She could hardly contain her excitement.
“Let’s go,” Staley said, laughing and grinning under her black-brimmed Gamecocks hat. “Let’s go, baby. Twenty-nine-point victory? Let’s go. I think our thing is international play.
“But yes, even if we would have lost I would have done it again because of the entire experience. And if we got beat we probably got beat by a good team that executed early. It’s early (in the season). It’s early. So I’m proud of our team for being able to come out and have a convincing victory.”
