Aliyah Boston made it official Saturday, confirming that South Carolina’s loss to Iowa in the Final Four was the last game in the collegiate career of arguably the greatest women’s basketball player in Gamecocks history.
Boston posted a statement on Twitter announcing that she will declare for the 2023 WNBA Draft, where she is projected as the first overall pick.
The Indiana Fever hold the No. 1 pick in the draft, which will take place April 10 in New York City.
Boston, who led the Gamecocks to a national championship last season, faced a decision on whether to use her COVID-19 eligibility waiver to return to college for another year. She has earned name-image-likeness deals with several significant companies including OrangeTheory, Bojangles and Crocs among others, and her NIL value has been evaluated in the range of $105,000-$115,000 annually — roughly the same amount as an average WNBA salary and significantly more than the league’s minimum salary of $74,000.
But Boston’s announcement became more widely expected after Friday night’s loss as South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told reporters that she would be advising her superstar center to enter the WNBA.
“I’m going to tell her to go,” Staley said. “She’s great. She’s ready. She’s ready to see single coverage, she’s ready to make the next step to the league.”
Through four collegiate seasons, Boston averaged 14.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 blocks per game. South Carolina went 129-9 in games she played.
Boston leaves South Carolina with over 20 individual program records and several SEC and national accolades to go along with her status as the face of the Gamecock’s aforementioned 2022 title team. She was unanimously named national player of the year last season and received the Wooden and Naismith awards as well as being named the most outstanding player in the 2022 Final Four.
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“She’s meant everything to our program,” Staley said of Boston. “She has been the cornerstone of our program for the past four years. She elevated us. She raised the standard of how to approach basketball.
“I slept very well knowing she was with our program, and I’ll sleep well knowing that she’s OK, and she will definitely make her mark at the next level.”
Boston also praised Staley on Friday as she reflected what the legendary South Carolina women’s basketball coach has meant to her.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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