South Carolina women's basketball: Aliyah Boston and Dawn Staley add to postseason awards

South Carolina Women’s Basketball: News • Recruiting • Schedule • Roster • Stats • SEC • Polls • Scholarships

Aliyah Boston and Dawn Staley added to their trophy haul Thursday, as Boston won the Wade Trophy and AP Player of the Year, while Staley was named Pat Summitt Coach of the Year.

Kim Mulkey was named AP Coach of the Year, preventing a sweep for the Gamecocks. Staley, who also won the WBCA Coach of the Year award in 2020, added to her Naismith Coach of the Year and USBWA Coach of the Year awards this season and in 2020. 

“Lord knows if I didn’t get this trophy it would be heck on social media,” Staley joked.

The Wade Trophy is the oldest player of the year trophy for women’s basketball and was first awarded in 1978. Boston is the second Gamecocks to win the award, following A’ja Wilson in 2018. Boston beat out finalists Caitlin Clark, Rhyne Howard, and last season’s winner NaLyssa Smith.

Boston is also the second Gamecock to be honored as the AP National Player of the Year, again following Wilson.

“Coming into this year I said in the back of my mind I wanted to change the narrative this year about women’s basketball,” Boston said after receiving the AP trophy. “For me to get this award means a lot and I can’t wait to do more in the future.”

Boston was already named SEC Player of the Year and captured her third consecutive SEC Defensive Player of the Year. She is an AP All-American. On Wednesday she was named the Naismith Trophy National Player and Defensive Player of the year, the first player to win both awards.

Boston has a chance to sweep the national player of the year awards if she wins the Wooden Award, which will be presented after the Final Four. Boston is one of five finalists. Wilson also swept every national player of the year award in 2018.

Boston’s junior season is one of the best in program history. She averaged 16.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 1.9 assists per game. Boston shot 54.2% from the floor and 77.4% from the line, while hitting a career-high 28.3% from three, enough to force opponents to respect her range.

Boston has had several signature games. She had 22 points and 15 rebounds and South Carolina won going away in a 1 vs 2 game against UConn as South Carolina that had so much hype that the AP delayed releasing its poll. A week later Boston shot a perfect 13-13 and scored a career-high 29 points in just 21 minutes against NC A&T. She had 16 points, 16 rebounds, and seven blocks against Maryland. Boston had one of the greatest games in program history in the Sweet 16, when she had 28 points, 22 rebounds, and three blocks and scored all 13 of South Carolina’s fourth quarter.

But the defining aspect of Boston’s season is her 27-game streak of consecutive double-doubles. She shattered the school record, broke the SEC record, and was the fifth-longest streak in history. Boston leads the nation in double-doubles with 28, which is the sixth-most ever, and is six rebounds away from tying the school record for rebounds in a season. 

Boston has blocked a career-high 87 shots this season and anchors a defense that leads the nation in field goal percentage defense and has held 45 consecutive opponents below their scoring average and set records for tournament scoring defense. Boston is capable of defending posts or guards, and her pick-and-roll defense forces countless turnovers.

Boston broke the program record for rebounds in a tournament game against North Carolina, and has already broken her own record for rebounds in a single tournament. If her career ended today she would set a new record for rebound average in tournament games.

The WBCA All-American team was:

• Aliyah Boston
• Cameron Brink
• Caitlin Clark
• Elissa Cunane
• Naz Hillman
• Rhyne Howard
• Ashley Joens
• Haley Jones
• Elizabeth Kitley
• NaLyssa Smith