Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, Laeticia Amihere and Olivia Thompson began their journey in 2019 as part of South Carolina women’s basketball’s No. 1 recruiting class. Now, after four seasons alongside one another and an NCAA national championship under their belts, their minds have shifted to the 2023 WNBA Draft, which takes place Monday in New York.
“The Freshies” — the nickname for their five-woman group chat via text message created their first year in Columbia — remains intact to this day. Since its arrival in 2019, the powerhouse group has helped lift South Carolina to a dazzling 129-9 record, three Final Four appearances and national title in 2022, among many other prestigious accolades.
Coach Dawn Staley recently described her senior class as both a low-maintenance and high-performing group, saying that she believes it will be extremely hard to replicate such a cohesive and talented bunch in future seasons.
“I hope there is another class that comes a close second [or] third to this class.” Staley said. “This class has been remarkable.”
On April 1, Boston became the first of “The Freshies” to announce her decision enter the upcoming WNBA Draft. The 6-foot-5 star forward is widely projected to be this year’s first overall pick, which is currently held by the
