Aliyah Boston
- position Forward
- height 6-5
- class Senior
- Hometown St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.
- High school Worcester (Mass.) Academy
- position Forward
- height 6-5
- class Senior
- Hometown St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.
- High school Worcester (Mass.) Academy
Aliyah Boston Bio
Awards
At South Carolina
Honda Cup Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year (2022)
SEC Female Athlete of the Year (2022)
2x National Player of the Year (2022 unanimous; 2021 The Athletic)
2x First-Team All-America (2021 unanimous; 2022 unanimous)
Second-Team All-America (2020 AP, USBWA)
3x Lisa Leslie Center of the Year (2020, 2021, 2022)
Naismith Defensive Player of the Year (2022)
National Freshman of the Year (2020 ESPN, USBWA, WBCA)
SEC Player of the Year (2022)
3x SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2020, 2021 (co), 2022)
3x All-SEC First Team (2020, 2021, 2022)
SEC Freshman of the Year (2020)
3x SEC All-Defensive Team (2020, 2021, 2022)
NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2022)
NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player (2022 Greensboro)
NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team (2022 Greensboro, 2021 Hemisfair)
SEC Tournament MVP (2021)
SEC All-Tournament Team (2021, 2022)
CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year (2022)
2x CoSIDA Women’s Basketball Academic All-American of the Year (2021, 2022)
2x CoSIDA Women’s Basketball All-America First Team (2021, 2022)
🏆 SEC POY
🏆 SEC Defensive POY
🏆 Naismith POY
🏆 Naismith Defensive POY
🏆 Wade Trophy winner
🏆 USBWA POY
🏆 AP POY
🏆 Lisa Leslie Award winner
🏆 National Champion
🏆 Final Four MOP
🏆 Wooden Award winnerA special year for a special player 👏 @aa_boston pic.twitter.com/ayfDZUIWlw
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 4, 2022
In High School
WBCA, McDonald’s, SLAM All-America (2019)
Naismith Second Team (2019)
USA Today Massachusetts Player of the Year (2019)
Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year (2017, 2018, 2019)
With USA Basketball
2022 FIBA World Cup Training Camp
2021 FIBA AmeriCup, gold medal
2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, gold medal
2018 Youth Olympic Games 3×3, gold medal
2018 FIBA U17 World Cup, gold medal
2018 FIBA U17 World Cup, All-Star Five
2017 FIBA U16 Americas Cup, gold medal
2017 FIBA U16 Americas Cup, MVP
South Carolina Record Book
Career
1st – Triple-doubles in a career (2)
2nd – Double-doubles in a career (60)
2nd – Blocked shots in a career (257)
2nd – Consecutive games started (101 11/5/19-present)
3rd – Offensive rebounds in a career (394)
3rd – Defensive rebounds in a career (735)
4th – Rebounds in a career (1129)
1st – Double-doubles in career SEC games (32)
2nd – Rebounds in career SEC games (573)
2nd – Offensive rebounds in career SEC games (187)
2nd – Defensive rebounds in career SEC games (386)
2nd – Blocked shots in career SEC games (129)
Season
1st – Rebounds in a season (462 in 2021-22)
1st – Offensive rebounds in a season (150 in 2021-22)
1st – Defensive rebounds in a season (312 in 2021-22)
1st – Double-doubles in a season (30 in 2021-22)
1st – Consecutive double-doubles in a season (27 in 2021-22)*
1st – Games played in a season (37 in 2021-22)
1st – Games started in a season (37 in 2021-22)
3rd – Rebounding average in a season (12.5 in 2021-22)
3rd – Blocked shots in a season (90 in 2021-22)
3rd – Blocked shots average in a season (2.6 in 2020-21)
4th – Offensive rebounds in a season (127 in 2020-21)
4th – Defensive rebounds in a season (230 in 2020-21)
4th – Blocked shots average in a season (2.6 in 2019-20)
4th – Field goal percentage in a season (.608 (174-286) in 2019-20)
5th – Blocked shots in a season (86 in 2019-20)
1st – Rebounds in an SEC season (212 in 2021-22)
1st – Rebounding average in an SEC season (13.3 in 2021-22)
1st – Offensive rebounds in an SEC season (69 in 2021-22)
1st – Defensive rebounds in an SEC season (143 in 2021-22)
1st – Double-doubles in an SEC season (16 in 2021-22)
1st – Blocked shots in an SEC season (57 in 2020-21)
1st – Blocked shots average in an SEC season (3.6 in 2020-21)
2nd – Rebounds in an SEC season (196 in 2020-21)
2nd – Offensive rebounds in an SEC season (62 in 2020-21)
3rd – Double-doubles in an SEC season (9 in 2020-21)
3rd – Offensive rebounds in an SEC season (56 in 2019-20)
3rd – Rebounding average in an SEC season (12.3 in 2020-21)
3rd – Defensive rebounds in an SEC season (134 in 2020-21)
Game
1st – Field goal percentage in a game (1.000 (13-13) vs. NC A&T, 11/29/21)
1st – Offensive rebounds in a game (12 vs. North Carolina, 3/24/22)
1st – Blocked shots in a game (10 vs. Alabama State, 11/5/19; 10 vs. Georgia, 1/21/21)
1st – Blocked shots in an SEC game (10 vs. Georgia, 1/21/21)
1st – Offensive rebounds in an SEC game (10 vs. Arkansas, 1/9/20)
God is so awesome!! Woke up a National Champ!!❤️ can’t wait to see what next year brings! pic.twitter.com/e5HP3fTABd
— Aliyah A. Boston (@aa_boston) April 4, 2022
Bio
Junior Year (2021-22)
- Became the University’s first Honda Cup Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year
- Swept the national player of the year awards, including becoming the first player, male or female, to win both the Naismith Trophy and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year; also claimed the Honda Cup as Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and SEC Roy F. Kramer Female Athlete of the Year; and repeated as CoSIDA Women’s Basketball Academic All-American of the Year
- Part of first team in program history to be ranked No 1 in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches’ Polls every week of the season and program’s second National Championship
- Led the nation with a program-record 30 double-doubles, including an SEC-record 27-game streak
- Ranked fourth in the nation in rebounds per game
- Averaged a double-double (18.1 pts, 13.9 rebs) along with 39 blocks in the team’s 14 games against ranked opponents as well as in SEC play (16.6 pts, 13.3 rebs)
- Named NCAA Women’s Final Four Most Outstanding Player behind 17.0 points, 17.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in Minneapolis
- Nearly had her second 20-20 NCAA Tournament game against #4/4 Louisville (Apr. 1), turning in a second-half double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the final 20 minutes alone
- Had an iconic performance in NCAA Sweet 16 win over #17/18 North Carolina (Mar. 25), scoring all 13 of the team’s fourth-quarter points, including four second-chance points and seven free throws in the period, en route to becoming just the fourth player since 2000 with 20 points and 20 rebounds in the Sweet 16 or later … 12 offensive rebounds tied the program record for most in a single game
- Another dominant night on the boards at Ole Miss (Feb. 28) pushed her past 1,000 career rebounds, reaching the milestone faster than the other four women in program history who have hit that mark
- Broke the SEC record with her 20th consecutive double-double in the win at Texas A&M (Feb. 24), highlighted by nine points in the third quarter
- Secured her 10th double-double in a row in her first 13 minutes on the floor vs. Texas A&M (Jan. 13); the double-double streak breaks a program record last set in 1978 … she accounted for 15 of the team’s 26 points and 10 of the 24 team rebounds in the first half
- Stepped up in the second half of the win vs. #8/7 Maryland (Dec. 12), recording 12 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in the final 20 minutes of the win, including two points, three rebounds and a steal in the final 9-3 surge that sealed the win
- Voted a team captain for second-straight season
Sophomore Year (2020-21)
- Picked up National Player of the Year honors from The Athletic and was a unanimous First-Team All-American
- Collected her second Lisa Leslie Award in as many seasons; also repeated as SEC Defensive Player of the Year and All-SEC First Team
- Was the only player in the country named a finalist for both the Naismith Trophy and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
- Became program’s first CoSIDA Women’s Basketball Academic All-American of the Year
- Ranked 13th in the NCAA in rebounding average (11.5), second in the SEC … 18th in NCAA with 2.6 blocks per game, third in the SEC, and fifth in NCAA in double-doubles (17) … ranked second in the SEC and 16th in the country in offensive rebounding (4.1) … 21st in the SEC in scoring
- Finished conference play second in rebounding (12.3), first in blocks (3.6), second in offensive rebounds (3.9), fifth in field goal percentage (.503)
- Averaging a double-double through 14 games against ranked opponents (14.4 ppg / 12.1 rpg)
- Named SEC Tournament MVP after three straight double-doubles in the event, during which she averaged 19.3 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 59.4 percent from the field, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range
- Powered the Gamecocks to the SEC Tournament title over #16/21 Georgia (Mar. 7) with evenly distributed 27 points, including the game-sealing free throws with 13 seconds left
- Moved into 10th place in program history with her 11-point 11-rebound double-double at #3/3 Texas A&M (Feb. 28), giving her 25 double doubles in her career
- Made history against #22/23 Georgia (Jan. 21), notching the program’s first triple-double in SEC play with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks, the second triple-double of her career
- Came out hot against #15/16 Arkansas (Jan. 18) with six points, six rebounds and three blocks in the game’s opening five minutes … added five points to a 9-0 run late in the third that established a double-digit lead
- Scored a career-best 28 points against Florida (Dec. 31), including a 19-point and 11-rebound first half where she became the 11th fastest Gamecock to score 500 points in her career … scored eight points in the paint, eight on midrange jumpers, nine from 3-point range and three free throws
- Voted a team captain
Freshman Year (2019-20)
- Became program’s first National Freshman of the Year, earning the award from every organization that bestowed it
- Part of first team in program history to end the season ranked No. 1 in the nation, claiming that spot in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll
- Tied school record for blocks in a game and set record for offensive rebounds vs. an SEC opponent and single-season offensive rebounds in SEC games
- Resent seven program freshman season records and four freshman single-game records
- Sixth in the nation in field goal percentage and 21st in blocks per game – first and second in the SEC, respectively
- 22nd in SEC in scoring, third in rebounding (best among freshmen), fourth in offensive rebounds (3.5)
- Averaged a double-double against SEC foes (13.1 ppg/10.3 rpg) and ranked teams (13.0 ppg/10.9 rpg)
- Earned her program freshman-record 13th double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds against #25/- Arkansas (March 7
- Earned first career SEC double-double (17 pts/12 rebs) at Alabama (Jan. 5) with four of the team’s first six points
- Notched 10 of her 20 points and six of her 13 rebounds in the fourth quarter against #2/2 Baylor (Nov. 30) to clinch Paradise Jam Reef Division MVP honors
- Posted first triple-double by a freshman in program history and the first by any NCAA Div. I player in her career debut against Alabama State (Nov. 5), including a school-record tying 10 blocks
High School
- Ranked No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2019 and the top post player in the class
- Earned consensus All-America selection after her senior season (2018-19), during which she averaged 17.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks
- Captured Massachusetts Player of the Year honors from Gatorade (2017, 2018, 2019) and USA Today (2019)
- Played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic (2019)
- Named NEPSAC Class A Player of the Year (2018, 2019) and a NEPSAC Class A All-Star in 2017
- Helped Worcester Academy to 24-1 record and second-straight New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class A championship in 2018-19
- Averaged 21.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 6.2 blocks as a junior (2017-18) after starting and recording a double-double in all 22 games her sophomore season (2016-17)
- Has earned four gold medals with USA Basketball and was named MVP of the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Cup after leading team with 11.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game
Personal
- Daughter of Cleone and Al Boston … has an older sister, Alexis
- Majoring in mass communications