South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley has coached many extraordinary players throughout her time running the Gamecocks’ program. The most notable of these is Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson, who has already won four WNBA MVP awards (including one in each of the past two seasons) and has a case for being called the greatest women’s basketball player of all time, despite her still being just 29 years old.
But Wilson isn’t the only elite player Staley has coached at South Carolina. While the program’s first NCAA championship game in 2017, when Wilson was the Gamecocks’ best player, the team’s next national title in 2022 was when Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston was Staley’s biggest star.
Boston went on to be the No. 1 pick of the 2023 WNBA Draft, earned the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award, and has now been to three straight WNBA All-Star Games and cemented herself as one of the best centers in the league.
Not to mention that Boston is still just 23 years old (she turns 24 on December 11), is a key part of the Fever’s core alongside Caitlin Clark, and her growth each season suggests that she still hasn’t reached her ceiling.
Jan 5, 2023; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Aliyah Boston (4) speaks with South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley against the Auburn Tigers in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
Dawn Staley Makes Bold Aliyah Boston Prediction
Boston was in the building to watch her alma mater beat the USC Trojans on November 15. After her team’s win, Dawn Staley spoke with the media and was asked about the relationship Boston has with current players on the team.
“This is the first time we’ve seen her since she had such a great season. But she’s gonna be around next week, so she’s gonna be around the players. And I’m sure they’re going to pick her brain about how well she made the transition from college to the pros. And just being her third year out, she’s on the All-WNBA Second Team,” Staley said, per an X post from Isabel Gonzalez of CBS Sports.
“I think she’s on her way to being the [WNBA] MVP, because she works extremely hard at her craft. And I want our bigs to really just ask her, allow her to pour into them what it takes to compete and to play at the highest level,” Staley added of Boston.
I asked Dawn Staley about Indiana Fever forward and former South Carolina star Aliyah Boston. She will be around the team next week and Staley wants her bigs to learn from her.
“I think she’s on her way to (WNBA) MVP.” pic.twitter.com/GGlYhEtvQu
— Isabel Gonzalez (@cisabelg) November 16, 2025
Boston surely will have a lot of wisdom to impact upon sophomore star Joyce Edwards and the rest of South Carolina’s post players. And Indiana Fever fans are surely hoping that Staley’s WNBA MVP prediction comes true soon.
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