SEATTLE - Weeks after the madness started, eight teams are still standing with hopes of making it to the last cut as this weekend we will know the four teams playing for this season's basketball national championships.
On the men's side, Alabama, UConn, Purdue and NC State will battle it out in Phoenix for the two spots in the final while South Carolina, UConn, Iowa and NC State will travel to the Midwest for the women's semifinals.
In something that has become kind of a tradition already since the COVID-19 pandemic passed, Latin America will count with a few representatives at some of the most important games of the season in college basketball. Since the 2021 season, at least one person of Latin American descent has made it as far as the Final Four, and this year is no different.
Players of Latin American descent to participate in the men's/women's Final Four - Since 2021
- 2021: Jaime Jaque Jr. (men's)
- 2022: Dawson Garcia (men's), Kamilla Cardoso (women's)
- 2023: Norchad Omier (men's), Giancarlo Rosado (men's), Kamilla Cardoso (women's)
- 2024: Aaron Estrada (men's), Kamilla Cardoso (women's)
Alabama will count with three individuals of Latin American descent in their ranks. Fifth-year guard Aaron Estrada has been a surprising addition to the Crimson Tide this year, averaging a little more than 13 points per game to go along with his 5.5 rebounds. He spent the first four years of his collegiate career trying his luck at multiple colleges before a successful stint at Hofstra granted him the opportunity to move to a Power 5 conference.
Estrada won't be alone when Alabama takes on reigning champions UConn for their Final Four game this weekend. Christian Pino and Henry Barrera will do their best to help Alabama get over the hump against UConn, but they will do so from the sidelines. Pino is in his first season as a full-time member of Nick Oats staff. After spending two years as a graduate manager, Pino was finally promoted to director of player development and recruiting coordinator.
One of the reasons why Alabama can keep and sustain a high-tempo in every single one of their games is thanks to strength and conditioning assistant Henry Barrera. He joined the Crimson Tide in May of 2022 and has helped turn Alabama's game into one of the fastest in the nation. He owns and operates the basketball and performance training company "Hoop Diaries" since 2008 which helps training athletes world-wide.
Congrats to our own @ChristianPino94 & @hoopdiaries from @UA_Athletics @AlabamaMBB @UofAlabama on making it to the @NCAA @MarchMadnessMBB @MFinalFour pic.twitter.com/BEjnHWf9yy
— Latino Association of Basketball Coaches (@LABCBasketball) March 31, 2024
Over in Ohio, Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women's basketball game will face No.3 Seed NC State for a chance to advance to their third-ever national championship game. One of the leaders of the unbeaten Gamecocks is the Brazilian Kamilla Cardoso.
The 6-foot-7 senior has been one of the key components of a South Carolina team that remains undefeated entering the Final Four (36-0). Cardoso has almost averaged a double-double, accounting for 14 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game, earning her the WBCA Defensive Player of the Year award as well as a spot in the All-SEC first-team.
The Brazilian is already a national champion and will try her best to add another one to that collection in the following week before heading to the WNBA, as she announced she was entering this year's draft just a few days ago. Cardoso was part of the 2022 South Carolina team that finished the season winning their second-ever women's basketball championship.
Cardoso is no stranger to these kind of high-pressure scenarios, as she also counts with experience at the national team level. She's won three medals with the Brazilian national team during her career, most recently a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, where she earned the title of tournament MVP after averaging 10.9 PPG and 8.3 RPG.
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