COLUMBIA — Aliyah Boston didn’t just have to contend with the shadow of a great player. She had an 11-foot tall likeness in front of her home arena.
Boston first arrived on campus at the University of South Carolina in 2019, just one year after the greatest player in program history, A’ja Wilson, had finished an NCAA career that transformed the school into a women’s college basketball powerhouse. A three-time first-team All-American, Wilson was the hometown star who helped lead the Gamecocks to their first NCAA title in 2017. A bronze statue of Wilson atop a granite base was erected outside the main entrance to Colonial Life Arena in January 2021 during Boston’s sophomore year.
The lingering presence of a legend could have intimidated a lot of players, but not Boston.
“I don’t think everybody could be in Aliyah’s position and thrive like she’s been thriving,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said of her All-American senior.
Talk to Boston for a minute and it’s clear there are no shadows in her world. She’s a young woman of faith, joy and big dreams. She carved her own…
