Staley didn’t think this record would be broken. Boston did it with games to spare
There’s still a couple regular season games left to play, but freshman forward Aliyah Boston has already etched her name in the South Carolina women’s basketball record book.
In the No. 1 Gamecocks’ win over LSU on Thursday, Boson tied and then broke the program record for blocked shots as a freshman, held since 2014 by Alaina Coates. Now at 75 blocks on the season, Boston is fifth among all classes for rejections in a season, 30 away from A’ja Wilson’s program record that she set as a senior.
“Honestly, we didn’t think that would ever get done,” coach Dawn Staley said of someone breaking Coates’ old record. “I mean, we didn’t say that out loud, but to have a freshman that’s that imposing, (that) doesn’t come ... along every day, every year.”
Coates herself took to social media after the game to congratulate Boston on her accomplishment.
“That was really exciting because, just knowing the type of player that she was here, it’s just great to have her recognize me like that,” Boston said.
She’s not done yet — with at least five and up to a dozen games left depending on how the Gamecocks perform in the postseason, Boston has a shot at surpassing 100 blocks on the year, something only Wilson has done for the Gamecocks.
“She understands timing. She understands scouting reports and understands what players do and their patented moves,” Staley said of Boston. “But then she does a really good job at just standing between penetrating guards and the basket, and she makes them play over her.”
Boston’s shot-blocking prowess surprised Staley a little bit early in the season — she didn’t have a reputation as an elite shot-blocker in high school when the nation’s top programs were recruiting her. But after exploding onto the scene with a triple-double, including 10 blocks, in her first career game, Boston drew inevitable comparisons to Wilson and Coates, the great Gamecock post players who preceded her.
After a few games, Staley said Boston was ahead of where Wilson and Coates were as freshmen, mostly because of her advanced communication.
Now, more than 25 games into the year, Boston’s numbers are still right around where Wilson’s and Coates’ were as rookies:
Boston: 13.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.15 assists, 1.11 turnovers and 2.78 blocks on 62.9% FG percentage, 78.1% FT percentage
Coates: 12.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 0.32 assists, 1.68 turnovers, 2.15 blocks, 61.2% FG percentage, 65.4% FT percentage
Wilson: 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.00 assists, 1.68 turnovers, 1.76 blocks, 53.8% FG percentage, 66.2% FT percentage
And the two former All-SEC stars have reached out over the course of the season to Boston, offering encouragement, she said.
That encouragement and advice could be key down the stretch, as Boston and the rest of USC’s star freshmen battle fatigue as they play more basketball than in high school.
“Just the whole level of the game is just completely different. It’s more high-paced, so I would say that kind of the grind in high school is a little less, but right now it’s all about how strong we are mentally,” Boston said. “So we just got to stay strong that way and then we’ll be all right.”
WHEN DO THE GAMECOCKS PLAY NEXT?
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (26-1, 13-0 SEC) at No. 14 Kentucky (20-5, 9-4 SEC)
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, Kentucky
Watch: ESPN2
Listen: 98.5 FM in Columbia area
This story was originally published February 22, 2020 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Staley didn’t think this record would be broken. Boston did it with games to spare."
