Known for her dedication and rigorous practice, Aliyah Boston has translated her NCAA efforts to the highest level and performed exceptionally well. She graduated from the South Carolina Gamecocks roster and one would think that the reason for her choice was the head coach who is the experienced Dawn Staley. However, to the surprise of many that wasn’t the only reason behind Boston committing to the Gamecocks in the first place. Instead, it was another player.

Boston was present during the WNBA All-Star pregame conference when she was asked a flurry of questions including her partnership with Caitlin Clark and how she has been performing this season. However, one answer that caught the fancy of all was when Boston revealed the exact reason behind committing to the Gamecocks.

“I committed to South Carolina big reason was because of A’ja and the talent that she has. And I think to be a part of that is exciting because Gamecocks women’s basketball is on the rise. I mean what coach Staley does at South Carolina is undeniable. I mean she just creates pros and so to see us all many pros throughout this weekend just in the league dominating each and every night. I mean that’s what you want to see…,” Boston stated, via the pregame conference.

Notably, Boston was a five-star recruit and had offers from Ohio State, the Huskies, and Notre Dame among others. Despite proposals from different universities, she decided to commit to the Gamecocks in 2019. During her four years with the Gamecocks, she won the NCAA Championship title once in 2022. In her college career, she averaged a decent 14.1 points per game with 10.8 rebounds. And surely, she must have been influenced by Wilson.

Wilson committed to the Gamecocks in 2014. She too like Boston was the NCAA Champion once in 2017. The Gamecocks team was known for its exceptional display and being formidable. Hence, Wilson established her image as a national celebrity and a lot of players looked up to her as an inspiration. Overall, Wilson averaged 17.3 points per game during her four years with the Gamecocks along with 8.7 rebounds. Nonetheless, Staley’s contribution to the Gamecocks cannot be denied as rightly pointed out by Boston.

Dawn Staley’s contribution cannot be denied

Staley took over the position of the head coach with South Carolina in 2008. She has won the NCAA Championship thrice as a coach in 2017, 2022, and 2024. Hence, Staley each year groomed some exceptionally talented players out of which the names of Wilson, Boston, and Kamilla Cardoso stand out.

In the most recent season, Staley took her team on an unbeaten 38-0 record which speaks volumes about her team management skills and gaming acumen. Hence, South Carolina has become the hub of talent in the NCAA and a lot many budding athletes want to get a call from the reputed institution.

Perhaps, it is admissions like these that are givebacks to their idols. Wilson and Staley both would be swelling with pride for having a graduate like Boston, who proved her mettle by decimating Team USA in the recent WNBA All-Star game.