Boston Named Finalist for Wade Trophy
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No 1/1 South Carolina women’s basketball senior Aliyah Boston is one of four finalists for the Wade Trophy, the Women’s Basketball Association (WBCA) announced today. After winning the award in 2022, she looks to be the sixth multi-year winner in the 46-year history of the award.
The unanimous 2022 National Player of the Year, 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.
This year’s winner of the Wade Trophy will be announced later this month in Dallas.
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.
Stay tuned to GamecocksOnline.com and the team’s social media accounts (@GamecockWBB) for more information on the 2022-23 season.
2023 Wade Trophy Finalists
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana
Maddy Siegrist, Villanova
