Aliyah Boston Wins Her Second Naismith Defensive Player Of The Year Award

South Carolina Women's Basketball star, Aliyah Boston, won the Naismith DPOTY award for the second consecutive season.

The South Carolina women's basketball team has been among the top women's college basketball programs over the past several years. In 2017, South Carolina won its first national title. In 2022, South Carolina won its second national title. Now, in 2023, South Carolina is two wins away from its third, this time in undefeated and consecutive fashion.

Stars like Aliyah Boston are significant reasons for their success. However, Aliyah Boston is not just a star–she's separated herself as one of the best women's college basketball players in the sport's history. Her accolades reflect her talent, as she's been named a 3-time first-team All-American, 4-time SEC defensive player of the year, 2-time SEC player of the year, and 2022's Naismith POTY and DPOTY award winner. Now, she's the first player to win the Naismith DPOTY award twice.

While anyone who has watched Boston play can see she's a talented defender, advanced statistics courtesy of Her Hoops Stats show just how dominant she is as a defender. She's in the 98th percentile or higher in blocks, block rate, defensive rebounds, defensive win share, and overall defensive rating. She's been an absolute force for South Carolina this season, contributing to the Gamecocks' third-lowest points against per game.

This season's Naismith Awards were especially sweet for Aliyah Boston and the Gamecocks, as fellow "freshie" Brea Beal was also a DPOTY finalist, and Coach Dawn Staley won her second consecutive Naismith Coach of the Year award, her third overall. However, Boston, Beal, Coach Staley, and the Gamecocks are not finished bringing hardware and recognition home to Columbia. They're in the midst of building a basketball dynasty, just two wins away from becoming the fourth program to win back-to-back titles in women's basketball history. South Carolina's talented squad will be back in action on Friday at 9 pm EDT to battle Caitlyn Clark and the Hawkeyes for a spot in the National Championship Game.

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