COLUMBIA, S.C. – SEC Champion South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley and five Gamecocks were recognized by SEC coaches with postseason awards, including four entries on the All-SEC First and Second Teams – matching the program record originally set in 2015. Senior Kamilla Cardoso was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-SEC First Team. Guards Raven Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao along with forward Ashlyn Watkins earned spots on the All-SEC Second Team. MiLaysia Fulwiley made the SEC All-Freshman Team, and Dawn Staley was named the league’s Coach of the Year.
Cardoso becomes the fourth Gamecock all-time to be named SEC Defensive Player of the Year, making it the fifth-straight season a Gamecock has collected that title and the seventh time in the last nine seasons. She moved up to All-SEC First Team after grabbing second-team honors in 2023. Cardoso is 13th in the nation with an SEC-best 2.7 per game and comes in 21st in the country in field goal percentage at an SEC-best .581. She is 31st in the country in double-doubles (13) and 33rd in rebounds per game. In advanced metrics, she is sixth in the country in player defensive rating (68.4).
Raven Johnson is third in the SEC with 5.0 assists per game, and her 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio is ninth in the country. She has led the Gamecocks in assists 17 times and has handed out five or more assists in 15 games. Johnson’s 8.1 points per game are nearly double her scoring average from last season and have come on career-best shooting percentages overall and from 3-point range. She is seventh in the SEC in steals with 2.1 per game.
Paopao is the nation’s top 3-point percentage shooter, hitting a career-high 48.6 percent from beyond the arc as part of her 11.5 points per game, and is second in the SEC with 2.4 made 3s per game. She is 10th in the SEC with 3.8 assists per outing and 24th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.5. In SEC action, her 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio leads the league. Paopao is the team’s top scorer against ranked opponents, pouring in 15.0 points per game.
Watkins has been dominant off the bench in her sophomore season, ranking 11th in the SEC in rebounds per game at 7.2. Her 2.4 blocks per game are second in the SEC and 17th in the nation. Her rebounding average includes 7.5 boards per SEC game and 2.7 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in the SEC. Watkins is fourth on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game,…