Another historic triple-double for Aliyah Boston, and it ‘probably won’t be the last’
A month ago, Aliyah Boston was in a little bit of a rut.
The South Carolina women’s basketball sophomore star wasn’t playing badly, but she wasn’t quite as dominant as she had been during her standout freshman campaign. She knew it. Coach Dawn Staley knew it, especially after she left the locker room after a game and found Boston on the verge of tears, upset with her performance.
“She just beats herself up so bad, because she doesn’t really like looking bad,” Staley remarked.
So Staley challenged her All-American.
“Coach, in practice, has ... just been making sure I understand how dominant I need to be and I can’t really slack off,” Boston explained. “So I’ve just been trying to continue with that through each game we’ve played.”
On Thursday night, Boston unleashed the full range of that dominance against Georgia. With 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks, she recorded just the eighth triple-double in program history and the first against an SEC opponent. Combine that with the triple-double she recorded in her very first game as a freshman, and Boston is the only Gamecock ever to record multiple triple-doubles.
She is also now tied for the SEC career triple-doubles record with LSU’s Cornelia Gayden and Alabama’s Niesa Johnson — and Staley sounded quite confident Thursday that she’s not done yet.
“That probably won’t be the last triple-double she’ll have, maybe this year but certainly throughout her career,” Staley said. “Aliyah’s just smart. She doesn’t like looking bad.”
Boston hasn’t had to worry about looking bad for a while now. Since the end of nonconference play, that start of the season where Staley felt Boston wasn’t quite living up to her potential, the second-year forward has broken out of her rut in a major way.
In the first six games of the year, Boston averaged 11.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, shooting 46% from the field. In the six games since, she’s averaged 17.3 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game, with a 52% field goal percentage. Even other areas where Boston wouldn’t be expected to contribute have improved — her 3-point percentage has jumped 11 points, and her steals per game has increased from 1.17 to 1.58.
After putting up two double-doubles in the first six games, Boston has had four in the last six contests, including Thursday’s triple-double. That gives her 11 in SEC games for her career, already third in program history. The only two players in front of her are familiar ones — A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates.
Throughout the course of her historic freshman season, Boston was frequently compared to Wilson and Coates, two of the top post players in program history. And statistically, she matched up favorably. After Thursday’s record-breaking performance, she was asked once more how it felt to be held up to such a high standard at such a young age.
“That’s just amazing because A’ja is just such a great player, and so for people to compare me to her, I mean, that’s great,” Boston said. “I’m also just trying to lock in on Aliyah, kind of just do that.”
That mindset, Staley said, is part of what sets Boston apart from even other great players she’s coached.
“I know she’s flattered by the comparisons, but she certainly wants to make her own legacy here at South Carolina,” Staley said. “I think she’s pretty special. She does have A’ja Wilson qualities, certainly off the court. On the court, equally as effective, just different. I mean, Aliyah’s ability to pass, her ability to facilitate at a young age, as a sophomore, some of the things she does out there separates her from A’ja.”
It’s not a one-to-one comparison, Staley was quick to note — Wilson and Boston had different teammates and were asked to do different things early in their careers.
Still, there’s a thirst for knowledge of the game Boston has that sets her apart, Staley said. It’s part of how she was able to emerge from her mini-slump.
“She made adjustments. She watches film, she sees how the defenses are playing her, and it just doesn’t stop with watching film with coaches,” Staley said. “She takes it a step further, and she’s watching games. I’m almost certain that she’s watched all of Georgia’s conference games. So she does her homework before she steps on the court so she knows what she has to do out there on the floor.”
NEXT USC BASKETBALL GAME
Who: No. 4 South Carolina (11-1, 6-0 SEC) vs. LSU (6-6, 4-2 SEC)
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Watch: SEC Network
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 7:59 AM.
