For the second time in so many seasons, South Carolina women’s sophomore student Aliyah Boston won a spot at Naismith Starting Five as the winner of the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award, the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Association of Women’s Basketball Coaches announced today. The second Gamecock to claim the prize, Boston becomes the first repeat winner.
“I thank God for allowing me to win this award again and for blessing me with amazing teammates and coaches who continue to push me every day to be the player I am,” said Boston. “This award means a lot to me because Lisa Leslie was a beast on the court, and knowing that she has such a high opinion of my game is a blessing.”
Boston’s second season was just as impressive as the first, which earned him the honors of national freshman of the year. In her second season, she became a unanimous All-American of the starting lineup and repeated herself as the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year. She was one of the finalists for the Naismith Trophy and the Wood Award and was the only finalist to also be nominated as a finalist for Naismith’s Defense of the Year Player of the Year.
USC Athletics Communications and Public Relations
A player who impacts the game at both ends of the court just by being on the ground, Boston guided the Gamecocks to their third NCAA Final Four in the last six NCAA Tournaments. Her SEC tournament dominance delivered the Gamecocks’ second consecutive title to that event and earned tournament MVP honors as she posted 19.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game by shooting 59.4 percent of the field.
In the season, Boston had a double-double average (13.7 ppg / 11.5 rpg) overall, in the SEC game (13.3 ppg / 12.3 rpg) and against ranked opponents (14.4 ppg / 12 , 1 rpg). She is in fifth place in the country in doubles (17) and is among the 20 best in the country in rebounds per game (12th) and offensive rebounds per game (18th, 4.1), obtaining double-digit rebounds in 23 of her 31 games this season,
Ranked 18th in the country, with 2.6 blocks per game, Boston is already in fifth place in the history of the program in blocked career shots (167), as both season totals are among the top six in the history of a single season of the program. She became the first Gamecock to post multiple triple doubles in her career, when she recorded 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks against the then No. 22/23 Georgia (21 January). It was the program’s first triple-double against a classified opponent and against an SEC opponent.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information about the program.
2021 Women Naismith – Five Beginnings
Nancy Lieberman Guard of the Year Award: Paige Bueckers, UConn
Ann Meyers Drysdale Guard of the Year Award: Ashley Owusu, Maryland
Cheryl Miller Small Best of the Year Award: Ashley Joens, Iowa State
Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year: NaLyssa Smith, Baylor
Lisa Leslie Center Award of the Year: Aliyah Boston, South Carolina