South Carolina women’s basketball is back: 3 things to watch for in Rutgers exhibition

After 205 days, South Carolina women’s basketball will play a game.

About two weeks before their season opener in Paris, the Gamecocks will host an exhibition at 1 p.m. Sunday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The game at Colonial Life Arena will not be streamed or broadcast on TV. Admission is free.

Both South Carolina and Rutgers will use the exhibition to raise funds for In the Middle in honor of the late Nikki McCray-Penson. In The Middle is a nonprofit organization, founded by a breast cancer survivor in Columbia, that provides financial assistance to women battling breast cancer and their families. The charity helps patients with medical bills and other expenses and offers a scholarship program for children of breast cancer patients.

McCray-Penson coached at both South Carolina and Rutgers. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 and died in July at age 51.

Coach Dawn Staley’s mantra for the 2023-24 season is “expect the unexpected.” A lot of folks don’t know what to expect from this new-look Gamecocks squad that returns just six players with three career starts (all by sophomore guard Raven Johnson) from last year’s team. USC earned the No. 6 spot — not No. 1 for the first time since 2019 — in The Associated Press preseason poll.

With all that uncertainty in mind, here are three things to monitor Sunday afternoon:

How do the newcomers look?

South Carolina has five new faces this year: freshmen MiLaysia Fulwiley, Tessa Johnson and Sahnya Jah, and transfers Te-Hina Paopao (Oregon) and Sakima Walker (Northwest Florida State).

Fulwiley is “a generation talent,” Staley said. She’s also extremely coachable, hardworking and willing to put her pride aside for her long-term development.

Johnson “can flat-out shoot the basketball,” Staley said. She can grow by speeding up her game and being a little more selfish by making the most of her scoring opportunities.

Jah is an elite athlete who can rebound, defend and is unafraid to mix things up. “She’s going to make me play her by how she approaches practice every day,” Staley said.

Paopao has been everything the Gamecocks recruited her to be. A leader. A shooter. And now a willing participant on the defensive end of the floor. She and Johnson make up what Staley referred to as the best lead guard tandem she’s ever coached.

At 6-foot-5, Walker’s size and basketball IQ make for a special combination. She and 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso play off each other well, Staley told The State. But they’re both true fives, so it’s unlikely that their dynamic will mirror that of Cardoso and Aliyah Boston — who plays the four spot — from last year. It will be interesting to see what Walker and Cardoso do when on the floor at the same time.

How has this group gelled?

Everyone wants to know what this team is like.

Bree Hall says: “It’s going to take some time to figure out what our team is really like. It’s just going to take time. And it’ll be some ups and downs. But I think we’re gonna be very competitive, very hardworking.”

With six returners who’ve combined for three collegiate starts and five new faces, this is a whole new South Carolina squad. Sunday will be the first time the Gamecocks suit up and play someone other than themselves. Their first taste of competition.

And Staley knows exactly what she’s looking for.

“I’m looking for us to play with a certain level of toughness and grit and togetherness,” Staley told The State. “And fast, moving the basketball and sharing the basketball. I want this to be a confidence booster for us and for our players. Each and every one of them that gets in the game, I want them to do well and have something to hang their hat on before we before we open up against Notre Dame.”

How will Kamilla Cardoso step up?

Cardoso is one of the most exciting players in the country.

She had an outstanding summer, leading Team Brazil to gold over Team USA in the 2023 FIBA AmeriCup and earning the tournament’s MVP award.

And she was great last year. At 6-foot-7, she overwhelmed opposing teams alongside Boston and earned the SEC’s Sixth Woman of the Year award. But now Cardoso is taking the necessary next steps to elevate her game. To fill the void left by Boston and the rest of her classmates’ departures. To dominate.

“Kamilla kind of just waited until everyone cleared out to start imposing her will,” Staley told The State. “... It’s just one more thing that’s new to add to what she’s already bringing to the table. She’s doing great. She communicates well. She’s getting in extra work. She’s dominant. She wants it, and that’s half the battle.”

About the 1 pm Sunday exhibition game

Information provided by USC

▪ Admission to the exhibition game is free with general admission seating in all sections, except selected marked seats reserved for team use.

▪ Parking in lots immediate around Colonial Life Arena will be $20 per car, cash only.

▪ Food trucks will be outside Colonial Life Arena beginning at 11 a.m.

▪ All three entrances at Colonial Life Arena will open at noon with face painting on the concourse above the box office.

▪ Fans are encouraged to wear pink to show support for McCray-Penson and all those who fought or are fighting breast cancer.