The Indiana Fever didn’t have the ending they were hoping for as their season came to an early end. They were swept by the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the playoffs, but there were some positives from their first run to the postseason since 2016. While most of the spotlight shines on rookie Caitlin Clark, it would be unfair to snub last year’s ROTY, Aliyah Boston, especially after her back-to-back double-doubles in the first-round fixtures.

One of the highlights of Boston’s season was her 30-point effort against the Atlanta Dream on September 9. That game saw her and Clark make history as the first WNBA duo to each have 25+ PTS, 5+ REB, and 5+ AST double-doubles in the same game during the regular season. Boston’s performances have grabbed attention and her former South Carolina coach, Dawn Staley has been an avid supporter. Hence, after Boston’s season-ending message, Staley once again came out to advise her, while setting some big goals.

The Fever forward took to her X account to share some highlights from her season, captioning the post with a simple, “Year 2✅.” Although it felt like a wrap-up of the season, her former head coach, Staley, couldn’t help but chime in with a piece of advice. “Your @WNBA MVP awaits! Keep applying the pressure! It’s what we do!” wrote Staley under Boston’s tweet.

Boston ended the season averaging 14 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. On the other hand, former South Carolina alumnus and current Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson averaged an astonishing 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds in the regular season. So, there is some ground for Boston to make up.

Wilson also won the 2024 WNBA MVP award becoming just the second player in the league history to be unanimously crowned MVP. Wilson added the accolade she received on September 22, to her two MVP awards from 2020 and 2022.

Wilson’s accomplishment also meant she joined Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson as the only WNBA player to win the MVP award for the third time in their career. It looks like Staley is keen for her former disciple to take Wilson’s route.

Aliyah Boston played for four years under Staley at the Gamecocks and won 129 out of 138 games. During this tenure, Boston averaged 14.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per game and made program history by achieving a record-setting 73rd double-double in a game against Arkansas in 2023. In 2022, she helped South Carolina win only their second national championship averaging 16.8 points that year. Boston also won the Lisa Leslie Award for the best center in NCAA women’s basketball for four years in a row.

She stepped into the WNBA after being picked by the Indiana Fever as the first overall pick in 2023 and won the Rookie of the Year award in her first season. Staley expects Boston to perform at the levels she knows she is very well capable of and these words of advice and encouragement will be a boost to her. This isn’t also the first time her former coach has hyped her up.

After Boston’s 17 points and 16 rebounds helped the Fever to an 81-74 victory against the Minnesota Lynx on July 14, Staley took to X to shower her with praise. “Easy like Sunday morning but it’s afternoon for @aa_boston double double…..I see you WNBA All-Star!” she wrote.

In a twist, when the Indiana Fever forward joined ESPN’s broadcast team following the Gamecock’s victory in the Final Four game she had the opportunity to interview Staley, This was right after the program’s 78-59 win over NC State at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland in April. Staley took a moment to highlight the contributions of former star player Aliyah Boston before diving into the Gamecocks’ overall performance.

“Proud of your professionalism, proud that you know the game so much that you are representing at the highest level,” Staley told Boston. The two were also reunited alongside Gamecocks assistant Lisa Boyer at Columbia as Staley shared an update on X.

“Guess who came into town to surprise us, The one, the only, thee @aa_boston…..got to the see the peekaboo pink braids…..they’re even cuter in person!! Love you AB!!!,” Staley wrote in a tweet on August 19.

Aliyah Boston can’t wait to see “what the future holds” for Indiana Fever

Indiana Fever’s success was driven by two 22-year-olds, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. Clark had a record-breaking run and Boston proved her mettle by dishing out impressive outings in the playoff games.

She scored 17 points and 11 rebounds in Game 1, while Clark had a tough outing with just 11 points and 4 rebounds. In the second game, while Clark improved to 25 points and 6 rebounds, Boston again impressed with a 16-point, 19-rebound performance. Still, it wasn’t enough as the Connecticut Sun had just too much for them. But Boston remains optimistic.

Speaking after the playoff exit she said, “Obviously you never want to lose, and especially losing right now with the chance to go home and they want more games. It truly sucks. But I think just being able to get a taste of this playoff feeling.”

For Fever getting back into the playoffs after an eight-year hiatus will be seen as progress. They certainly have the tools in place to build an even more competitive side next season and that’s what excites Boston. “Looking how far we’ve come from the [early] side of the season to now, I’m just super proud of our group, because I think it’s such a special twelve [players], and I just can’t wait to see what the future holds,” she said.

With the likes of Caitlin Clark and a determined Aliyah Boston leading the charge for Fever, their fans have a good reason to be feeling optimistic about the future. If Fever can surpass this season’s efforts next year, perhaps Dawn Staley’s wish of seeing Boston win theMVP might just come true.