‘That’s my main squeeze.’ USC star Aliyah Boston shares bond with coach Fred Chmiel
Aliyah Boston spent a lot of time speaking with Gamecocks assistant coach Fred Chmiel during the recruitment process with South Carolina women’s basketball.
When she stepped on South Carolina’s campus in 2019, Boston had an “automatic” connection with Chmiel.
“He’s helped me a lot,” Boston told The State. “He helped me just becoming more patient with myself, and he’s been a strong support system for me.”
Boston can often be seen on the sideline of games speaking with Chmiel. The two were captured going over film during the SEC Network’s “SEC Inside” special on South Carolina this season.
In January, Boston tweeted a photo of the two, captioned “Appreciation post for my main squeeze @CoachChmiel.”
Boston is a contender for national Player of the Year, a two-time Lisa Leslie Award winner for the country’s best center and leads the Gamecocks in scoring (16.4 points per game) and rebounding (12.1 rebounds per game) in her junior season.
Chmiel has been an assistant coach with Dawn Staley at South Carolina since 2015, working primarily with the frontcourt.
Chmiel has played a role in two of USC’s Final Four runs and the Gamecocks’ 2017 national championship, during which he worked closely with three-time SEC player of the Year and 2017-18 national Player of the Year A’ja Wilson.
Boston has already been named to the Associated Press and U.S. Basketball Writers Association first-team All American lists for the 2021-22 season.
Boston said Chmiel has helped her refine her play on the floor, taking the time to explain concepts to her in practice and during games.
“He’ll be like, ‘We’ll do this, and then this should open up for you,’ “ she said. “Or ‘Take your time, feel that pace you’re going at, keep that same pace, it’s working.’ “
Boston and Chmiel’s connection goes past basketball. Boston said Chmiel stays in tune with how she’s feeling, and he’s always quick to check in on her and be there for her when she isn’t well.
“He knows when something’s wrong, even if I don’t want to say it,” Boston said. “He’s just like, ‘Well, you know I’m here, so whenever you feel like talking about it, you can just talk about it.’ “
“He does a lot. That’s my main squeeze.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 11:02 AM.
