Aliyah Boston rides ‘flow of the game,’ breaks USC’s 40-year-old double-double record
Aliyah Boston approached her record-setting afternoon Sunday the same way she’s approached all of her games this season.
She laced up her Under Armour sneakers. She went through pregame warmups with her teammates, dancing around to the songs that played while getting her shots up. She ran out of the tunnel while the starting lineups were announced to do her pregame dance with Sania Feagin.
Boston knew she had a chance to break the program’s record for the most double-doubles by a Gamecock, but she wasn’t going to force it.
“If it happens, it happens,” Boston thought before South Carolina’s 96-42 win on Sunday against Arkansas.
Every rebound in Boston’s 13-point, 14-board performance helped guide her to career double-double No. 73. As Boston described it, they all came naturally.
Each of her first five rebounds led to points, either starting a fast break or sending a Gamecock to the free throw line. With her third rebound, she got herself to the line to convert an and-1 layup.
The next two boards didn’t immediately lead to points, but Boston continued to crash the glass.
The final three rebounds that she needed to secure came in one 15-second stretch. She grabbed the defensive board before getting the ball down low, missing two shots and then scoring on the inside layup.
And with that, in fewer than 20 minutes, she became USC’s all-time leader in double-doubles.
“She’s always going to rebound,” head coach Dawn Staley said. “She’s always going to be in a position of going for rebounds, taking her feet to the ball and getting the rebound.”
Sheila Foster held the record for more than 40 years, and advised Boston to be a “go-getter” as a rebounder.
Boston heeded that advice against the Razorbacks, though rebounding has been her calling card for 121 games at South Carolina.
She averages a double-double for her career with 14.2 points and 10.9 rebounds. Beyond her 6-foot-5 frame, it’s the timing, positioning and awareness that allows Boston to put up those numbers. Arkansas head Mike Neighbors has coached against Boston seven times with the Razorbacks, seeing the four-year buildup to the dominant player she is today.
“I don’t think she gets enough credit for her basketball IQ,” Neighbors said. “I think too many people just say she’s smart and she’s talented. They don’t understand how hard it is.”
Boston’s productivity has fed off on her teammates, as well, to the tune of a national championship, two SEC regular-season and tournament titles, and a 20-0 start this year.
“She doesn’t even know that she’s doing the things that she’s doing,” senior guard Zia Cooke said. “She’s just going out there, playing hard and giving her all to the team. So it’s definitely a blessing to play with somebody like her, someone that’s helping us break records and leading us literally every day.”
Cooke’s played in all but one of Boston’s games as a Gamecock, the two players joining the team in the Class of 2019. They each started as freshmen, but the team leans on them even more as seniors.
Beyond Boston’s National Player of the Year credentials, Dawn Staley has described Boston as a leader both on and off the court.
As a four-year veteran, it’s still hard for Boston to put into perspective her personal development and what she’s accomplished as a college player.
“I know I’ve grown, but I still feel like I’m still the same girl that can’t dance,” Boston told The State in October. “I just make people laugh. But I don’t know. I definitely matured. I feel like other people might be able to tell me how I look like I changed, but it’s so hard for me.”
As Staley subbed Boston out of Sunday’s game, thunderous applause cascaded as she walked to the USC bench.
Fans inside Colonial Life Arena — with Foster among them — witnessed history.
“I knew that it would be cool to get it at home,” Boston said. “I didn’t even know that I broke it, and coach Staley was like, ‘Oh, congrats.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, thanks. I guess I did it.’ Once you get into the flow of the game, it’s not really a focus. It’s more about what’s happening on the floor.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2023 at 8:14 PM.
