Best of the best: Three Gamecocks among ESPN’s top 25 of women’s basketball players
The South Carolina women’s basketball team continues to attract national attention.
Three Gamecock veterans made ESPN’s list of the top 25 women’s basketball players heading into the 2021-22 season. Forward Aliyah Boston, guard Zia Cooke and point guard Destanni Henderson were all highlighted on the list, formulated by a panel of 12 voters.
Boston, AP preseason All-American and two-time Lisa Leslie Award winner, landed at No. 3 on the list, behind UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith. Boston averaged 13.7 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in last year’s Final Four campaign
“Her dominance has traditionally been anchored in the paint, but she has also shown that she can extend her range,” wrote ESPN’s Katie Barnes, a member of the voting panel. “If Boston, who received three first-place votes, becomes consistent farther out from the basket, she will be almost impossible to stop.”
Cooke came in at No. 14 on the list after leading the Gamecocks with 15.9 points per game in the 2020-21 season. Cooke was also named to the preseason All-SEC first team along with Boston.
“Cooke continues to steadily climb this list, and if she can harness her shot selection in Year 3 and make yet another jump as we expect to see this season, she could be a top-10 player in the next iteration of these rankings,” wrote The Undefeated’s Sean Hurd.
Henderson landed at No. 24 on ESPN’s list after averaging 12.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game last year. She’s been named to the SEC All-Tournament team twice and landed on the preseason All-SEC second team this season.
“There might not be another player in college basketball who can get from one baseline to the other faster than Henderson,” Hurd wrote. “Everything for South Carolina begins with Henderson and her ability to jump start both sides of the ball.”
AP preseason No. 1 South Carolina and No. 2 UConn tied for the most selections to the top 25 players list, with No. 3 Stanford and No. 4 Maryland close behind with two selections. The Gamecocks have a guaranteed game scheduled with all three of those teams as part of their non-conference slate.
South Carolina opens the season on the road at No. 5 N.C. State in Raleigh. The game tips off on ESPN at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
