South Carolina women's basketball: Should Aliyah Boston get a statue?
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Should South Carolina build a statue of Aliyah Boston to go alongside the statue of A’ja Wilson in front of Colonial Life Arena? The question was bound to come up, especially after Boston broke Sheila Foster’s career double-doubles record. After all, South Carolina was one of, if not the first programs to build a statue for a women’s basketball player. Other programs have followed. So clearly the question had to be asked.
Surprisingly, it came from a visitor.
Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors has been on the wrong side of some of Boston’s best games. She has averaged nearly 20 points and 15 rebounds in eight career games against Arkansas, and when she took a seat Sunday with 13 points and 14 rebounds, it was actually one of her more modest box scores.
“I think Aliyah Boston’s impact on this program…” Neighbors started, then paused. “I don’t know how much room you’ve got out there for another statue.”
“She’s elevated it to another level.”
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In a nutshell, that is the difference. That stats, the records, the awards, they all sort of even out. But Wilson was the local player who stayed home and helped make the Gamecocks a national power. Boston has elevated the Gamecocks into perhaps the most dominant program in the country, but she credited Wilson with laying the foundation.
“If we really think about it, A’ja was that player,” Boston said. “She was a big reason as to why all of us are here. That statue means something different. I think it means more than the stats that appear on the stat sheet, but what she has done for this program to help it get to where it needs to be.”
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Dawn Staley spearheaded the drive to get Wilson’s statue built, donating the initial funding. She seemed to agree with Boston’s perspective.
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“(Boston) doesn’t make you forget about the ones who started the success here at South Carolina, but she certainly, you can argue, has a pretty darn big impact on the history book,” Staley said. “She keeps checking off different things.
Of course, Boston’s career is not over. She could return for a fifth season, although as the presumptive top pick in the WNBA Draft, Boston has said she expects to turn pro. She could still break Foster’s all-time rebounding record. Boston is still on the shortlist for SEC and national player of the year awards. And, of course, there are still championships to be won, including a possible second consecutive national championship.
“If she brings us home another one,” Staley said, “it puts her in a class by herself.”
Not surprisingly, Boston deflected the question. She has never admitted pride in her personal accomplishments.
“If they don’t put one, I don’t need it,” Boston said. “I’m chilling. That one looks good.”
