COLUMBIA — South Carolina women’s basketball guard Te-Hina Paopao could potentially be reunited with her former teammate Kamilla Cardoso in the WNBA.
Cardoso was coach Dawn Staley‘s star center last season and along with Paopao helped the Gamecocks win a national championship. In last year’s WNBA draft, she was selected third overall by the Chicago Sky. Some mock projections have the Sky selecting Paopao in the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday (7:30 p.m., ESPN).
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The Sky have a first-round pick at No. 10, and two second rounds (16, 22). USA TODAY and the Athletic both have Paopao going to the Sky in their respective projections.
Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca along with ESPN contributors were asked Thursday about a reunion of some college players at the pro level. The question relates not just to the former South Carolina players but also to Angel Reese, who could be reunited with former LSU teammate Aneesah Morrow if she is drafted by the Sky.
“I think the only advantage is you can get a potential feel for what kind of player that person might be,” ESPN analyst and former WNBA star Rebecca Lobo said Thursday. “You can go right to Kamilla, right to Angel and say ‘What kind of teammate is this person, what kind of a worker is this kid,’ but in terms of the chemistry, that’s a piece that’s probably a little bit lower.”
The Sky have talented post players, with Reese and Cardoso, so adding a spot-up shooter like Paopao, who can move around off the ball, would be a key addition.
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In their one season together, Paopao and Cardoso never lost a game and according to CBB analytics, the net rating when Paopao and Cardoso were on the floor together was a +40. Their offensive rating was 118.9, effective field goal percentage was 55.3%, with a defensive rating of 78.9. In total, 14.7% of Paopao’s assists last season went to Cardoso.
Pagliocca said the first thought will always be to do what’s best for the team, but that the chemistry factor does play a role in some way in terms of reuniting players.
“When there’s players available that could be in our range to get perspectives from players that they may have played with … it matters because continuity means a lot when you’re building a team.”
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The Sky were 10th in the Eastern Conference, finishing 13-27 in 2024. Chennedy Carter, the leading scorer from last season with 17.5 points, is no longer on the team, another reason why a productive guard may be a draft requirement. Cardoso averaged 27.4 minutes and 9.8 points per game as a rookie, starting in 29 of the 32 games she played in.
Paopao shot 44.4% from the field this season and 37% from behind the 3-point line.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: WNBA draft: Could Te-Hina Paopao, Kamilla Cardoso reunite in Chicago
