The summer before her first season at the University of South Carolina, Aliyah Boston took the court with her new teammates for a series of drills and pick-up games. Immediately, it was clear she was different from most freshmen.
“The first time I was on the court with her I was like, ‘Yeah, she’s her,'” Victaria Saxton said. “Nobody’s gonna be able to stop her.”
Nearly four years later, after Boston became one of the most decorated players in collegiate basketball history and was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2023 WNBA Draft, Saxton is getting déjà vu. Once again teammates with Boston after making the Fever roster as a third-round pick, Saxton has watched her establish herself as one of the best bigs in the WNBA. On Saturday, Boston will start in the All-Star Game, after becoming the eighth rookie (and first since 2014) to earn that honor.
“Aliyah’s just being who she is,” Saxton said. “She can really do it all.”
Through 20 games, Boston is averaging 15.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting 61% from the field. Forget her ranks among rookies, those marks are good for 20th, ninth, ninth and first in the league, respectively. The only players to ever average…
