Boston Named Naismith Player of the Year Finalist
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s basketball senior Aliyah Boston is one of four finalists for the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. She won the award in 2022, becoming the second Gamecock to claim the title.
Boston continues to dominate her sport on both sides of the ball as the only player in the nation to rank among the top five in both player offensive and defensive rating, according to Her Hoops Stats. The two-time SEC Player of the Year and four-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year has powered through every imaginable defensive scheme this season to still rank sixth in the nation with 21 double-doubles, 25th in field goal percentage (.565), 24th in blocks per game (2.00) and 30th in rebounds per game (9.7). Boston’s averages skyrocket in the high-end games as she averages 16.0 points and 11.6 rebounds in seven games against ranked opponents and 14.4 points and 10.5 rebounds in 17 games against NET top-50 foes.
Just the fifth four-time AP All-American in the history of that award, Boston is just the 10th player to earn first-team honors at least three times. She is the first three-time winner of the Lisa Leslie Award and is a finalist for that honor again this season. In addition to her program-record 81 career double-doubles, which rank her second all-time in the SEC, Boston holds program records for career rebounds (1,459), offensive rebounds (510), defensive rebounds (949) and consecutive games started (135). She has scored in double figures 115 times in her 135 games (.852) and 35 of her double-doubles have come in her 49 career games against ranked opponents.
Fans will once again be able to support their favorite finalist through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike’s, which runs Tue., March 21, through Tue., March 28 at naismithfanvote.com. The fan vote will account for five percent of the overall final vote. Fans may also visit the @MarchMadnessWBB Twitter page to vote for their favorite player.
The finalists emerged from a group of 10 semifinalists and were selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners, all of whom base their selections on outstanding on-court performances during the 2022-23 regular college basketball season. The vote was tabulated and verified by the Atlanta team of J.S. Held, a global consulting firm.
The winner will be awarded with the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy, produced and provided by Herff Jones, leading provider of graduation and educational products and services designed to inspire achievement and create memorable experiences for students. A replica trophy will be donated by Herff Jones to the player’s university.
2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year Finalists
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech
Maddi Siegrist, Villanova
No. 1/1 South Carolina advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 on Sunday and will face No. 14/15 UCLA on Sat., March 25, in Greenville, S.C.’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena at 2 p.m. with the game airing on ESPN.
Continue to check GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for the most up-to-date information on the women’s basketball season.
