Aliyah Boston is best the USC WBB player to wear No. 4. What about 00-10?
The State will be running a “Best to Wear It” occasional series in the coming weeks that’s all about Gamecocks and jersey numbers.
To kick things off, we take a look at the best players to wear specific jersey numbers for the South Carolina women’s basketball team.
It’s important to note that not every number will be included in this series. No player has ever worn a jersey number higher than 55 in South Carolina women’s basketball’s history, and some jersey numbers have never been worn at all.
For example, in this first story — which highlights the best players to wear the jersey numbers from No. 00 to No. 10 — the Nos. 6, 7 and 9 jerseys are omitted because no player has worn them, per the program’s record book.
Let’s get into the picks:
No. 00
The best to wear it: Beth Hunt (1989-90)
Hunt spent just two years with the Gamecocks after starting her career with Maryland but peppered her name throughout the program’s record book in that time.
The Garden City, South Carolina native was named the Metro Conference’s Player of the Year in 1990 after averaging 23.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. She was also the Metro Tournament MVP in 1989.
Hunt averaged 21.6 points and 9.9 rebounds in her two seasons with the Gamecocks. Those marks are still first and second in the program’s career record book to this day. Hunt scored 1,000 points at South Carolina in 48 games, the second-fastest time in program history.
Honorable mention: Ta’Niya Latson (2025)
No. 0
The best to wear it: Te-Hina Paopao (2024-25)
Similar to Hunt, Paopao spent two seasons with the Gamecocks but made a lasting impact on the program.
Paopao was brought in as a grad transfer to add 3-point firepower to the Gamecocks after a Final Four loss to Iowa in 2023. Paopao proceeded to lead the country with a 46.8% clip from 3-point range and helped South Carolina win a national title in 2024.
Paopao was an All-American with South Carolina in 2024 and played 76 games with the Gamecocks. She averaged 10.5 points per game in her two years with USC and shot 42.2% from 3-point range in that time.
No. 1
The best to wear it: Zia Cooke (2019-23)
Cooke was a key cog in the proverbial machine that was the “Freshies” class who helped usher South Carolina’s dynasty into the 2020s.
She was a three-time All SEC selection, three-time Final Four All-Tournament Team selection. Cooke earned All-America honors from The Associated Press and U.S. Basketball Writers Association in 2023 (she was a three-time honorable mention before that) and was the 2023 Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year.
Cooke helped South Carolina win a national title in 2022. She started in all 137 games she played in for the Gamecocks and averaged 13.5 points per game.
Honorable mention: Bianca Cuevas-Moore (2015-19)
No. 2
The best to wear it: Ieasia Walker (2012-13)
This is where things get a little complicated.
Walker played at South Carolina from 2009-13 but wore three different jersey numbers. She started off in No. 14 as a freshman, then wore No. 3 in her sophomore and junior seasons before finishing her career in No. 2.
She was a productive member of the team regardless of what jersey number she wore. Walker was an All-SEC player in each of the final three years of her career. She started 103 of the 130 games she played for USC and averaged 8.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and two steals in her career. Walker is one of the few in program history to amass at least 1,000 career points, 250 career assists and 250 career steals.
Arguably the best year of Walker’s career came in the 2012-13 season when earned the program’s first player of the year award after she won the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
Because of that award, we’ll slot her at the best to wear No. 2.
Honorable mention: Ashlyn Watkins (2022-25, 26-present)
No. 3
The best to wear it: Destanni Henderson (2018-22)
A total of eight players have worn No. 3 in South Carolina’s program history, and you can’t go wrong with the general top three of Walker, Henderson, or Kaela Davis.
Both Henderson and Davis were big pieces in bringing national championships to South Carolina. But at the end of the day, we gave Henderson the edge.
The Florida product waited her turn with the Gamecocks. Henderson was an All-SEC Freshman team selection in 2019 and worked her way up from the bench to a starting role in her final two years at USC. She was an All-American in her senior year and helped South Carolina beat UConn in the 2022 national title with a career-high 26 points in her final game as a Gamecock.
Henderson finished her career as one of the most efficient point guards in the program’s history. Her name is peppered throughout USC’s record book.
Honorable mention: Kaela Davis (2016-17), Ieasia Walker (2009-13)
No. 4
The best to wear it: Aliyah Boston (2019-23)
Of the first few jersey numbers, this one is the easiest selection.
Aliyah Boston was a bonafide star during her four years at South Carolina. She’s arguably the second-best player to come out of the program behind Gamecock legend A’ja Wilson. It’s not a stretch to say one day Boston will have her jersey hanging in the rafters of Colonial Life Arena alongside Wilson’s (and maybe even a statue out front, too).
Boston’s list of accolades is too long to summarize without missing something. She left USC as the most decorated player in program history. Boston was a four-time All-American, four-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, two-time National Defensive Player of the Year, a Honda Cup Winner and the 2022 National Player of the Year, to name a few.
Boston helped South Carolina win a national championship in 2022. She started all 138 games she played in (a program record) and averaged 14.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest.
Honorable mention: Doniyah Cliney (2016-19), Lori Joyner (1989-93)
No. 5
The best to wear it: Tessa Johnson (2024-present)
Picking the best to wear No. 5 is a tough one. Of the 10 players in program history to wear the jersey, Tessa Johnson, Markeshia Grant, Khadijah Sessions and Victaria Saxton clearly stand out.
Grant and Johnson both have All-SEC honors to their names. Meanwhile, Sessions and Saxton were consistent and were mainstays of the starting lineup in the final three years.
In the end, we gave the nod to Johnson.
Johnson was a big reason South Carolina won the 2024 national title. The freshman earned an NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team nod after averaging 14 points in the final two games of the season.
Johnson waited her turn after coming off the bench in all but two games in her first two seasons. This past year she started in all 38 games she played. Johnson has been a lethal threat from 3-point range and led the SEC with a 44.8% clip from beyond the arc this past season.
The Minnesota product earned her first All-SEC nod after averaging a career-high 12.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 2025-26. Johnson is arguably the best overall player to wear No. 5 for South Carolina and has one more year to further prove it.
Honorable mention: Markeshia Grant (2011-12), Victaria Saxton (2019-23), Khadijah Sessions (2013-16)
No. 8
The best to wear it: Joyce Edwards (2025-present)
Edwards is the only player to wear the No. 8 jersey in South Carolina women’s basketball’s program history. As such, she’s the de facto best to ever wear the number.
Edwards also happens to be a pretty good basketball player and has the makings to be among the program’s best at the end of her career.
She’s been a star since her freshman year at South Carolina in 2024. The Camden High alum led the Gamecocks in scoring coming nearly exclusively off the bench in her rookie campaign. Edwards was a member of the All-SEC Freshman Team and All-SEC First Team that year.
This past season, she led the team in scoring with 19.2 points per game and earned All-American honors from four different organizations. Edwards also added another All-SEC First Team nod to her growing list of accolades.
No. 10
The best to wear it: Kamilla Cardoso (2021-24)
Both Kamilla Cardoso and Allisha Gray made a large impact during their time with South Carolina and are revered by Gamecock fans. That principle alone makes this choice a toss-up. But since Cardoso wore No. 10 longer (three years compared to Gray’s one), we’ll give the two-time champion the nod.
Cardoso transferred to South Carolina after starting her career at Syracuse. The 6-foot-7 Brazilian came off the bench in her first two seasons with the Gamecocks. She was named the SEC Sixth Woman of the Year after averaging 9.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in the 2022-23 season.
Cardoso was a two-time All-SEC player in her time with South Carolina. She capped her career with a strong senior season where she earned All-American honors from four organizations after averaging 14.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.
The choice isn’t at all a knock to Gray. She was an integral part of bringing South Carolina its first national title in 2017 with her 13.2 points per game in her lone season with USC.
Honorable mention: Allisha Gray (2016-17), Kelly Monroe (2000-04)
This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 8:12 AM with the headline "Aliyah Boston is best the USC WBB player to wear No. 4. What about 00-10?."
