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Aliyah Boston Named Naismith Player of the Year, Defensive POY

The South Carolina junior averaged 16.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game this season.

Madison Williams

Aliyah Boston Named Naismith Player of the Year, Defensive POY
Aliyah Boston Named Naismith Player of the Year, Defensive POY /

South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston earned two honors Wednesday as she was named Naismith Player of the Year and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.

The junior’s season is not yet over as the No. 1 Gamecocks face No. 1 Louisville on Friday in the Final Four. South Carolina holds a 33–2 record this season as it looks to capture its second national title in program history.

Boston broke the SEC record for most consecutive double doubles with 27 in a row this season. Her 16.8 points per game is the best of her three-year career so far. Previously, she averaged 12.5 points per game as a freshman and 13.7 points per game as a sophomore. 

Boston wasn’t the only Gamecock to win a national award on Wednesday as coach Dawn Staley was named the Naismith Coach of the Year.

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• Sue Bird: Paige Bueckers Has ‘Clutch Gene’ After UConn’s Win

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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