What WNBA experts, team executives said about South Carolina’s pro prospects
Six of the WNBA Draft opt-ins this year come by way of Columbia.
Aliyah Boston, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, Laeticia Amihere, Victoria Saxton and Kierra Fletcher entered their names in the draft after leaving South Carolina at the end of the season. Boston, Cooke, Beal and Amihere were invited to attend the draft, which is Monday (7 p.m., ESPN) in New York City.
WNBA analysts and executives spoke with reporters Thursday to discuss the pro prospects in the upcoming draft.
Boston is widely expected to go No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft, and the Indiana Fever has the first pick. Lin Dunn, the Fever’s general manager, raved about Boston’s game when asked about the qualities that would make her successful at the next level.
“I’ve watched her play very closely this year,” Dunn said. “Her size, her basketball IQ, her character, her leadership skills. She just brings an enormous amount to the table. And I really think she’s going to have, whether she’s picked first, second or third, she’s going to have an immediate impact on this league.”
Boston averaged 14.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in her South Carolina career. She won the Naismith Player of the Year award and Final Four Most Outstanding Player award in 2022, the Defensive Player of the Year the past two seasons and made four All-American teams.
Her success brought a lot of defensive attention to her on the court throughout her career, especially as a senior. Boston saw an abundance of trapping defenses in the 2022-23 season, even getting quadruple-teamed on occasion. She attempted 8.9 shots per game, the fewest since her freshman year.
“I am so excited to watch Aliyah Boston play with WNBA rules,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. “For four years, teams have been able to surround her defensively and collapse on her. In the W, you have (the) defensive three seconds (rule). You have a wider lane. And I’m just so happy that we’ll get a chance to see this young woman without four sets of defenders’ feet and arms around her.”
Beal is another Gamecock expected to be taken in the first round.
Beal’s prp stock went up this season mostly because of her increased 3-point percentage, as she shot a career high 38% from beyond the arc as a senior. She was one of the four finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.
Some projections have her going seventh overall to the Fever, which would reunite her with Boston and former Gamecock Destanni Henderson.
“Lin Dunn has put such an incredible priority on defense and defensive intensity,” Lobo said. “If you look at the course of the past three or four years, the best college defensive team in the country has been South Carolina. If that’s what your GM values, there’s a great chance that you have to go there.”
Amihere is another player who has trended up due to her defensive skills. And her all-around versatility has attracted teams.
Amihere has the ability to guard all five positions on the court, and she’s played all five positions on offense, too. She already has professional experience with Team Canada.
Cheryl Reeve, head coach and president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Lynx, coached against Amihere in the World Cup semifinals as the Team USA head coach.
“I think she gets a lot of credit for being a very smart player who can play multiple positions,” Reeve said. “What the skill set actually is, I think, she’s still sort of defining who that’s going to be as a player. But at minimum, I’ve seen her change games with her ability to be aggressive. She has no fear. She’s ambitious in the way that she chooses to attack defenders and has a natural confidence there.”
Cooke, USC’s leading scorer, had an impressive NCAA Tournament stretch as a senior, raising her stock. She is expected to be taken late in the first round or early in the second round.
Cooke averaged 15.4 points per game while shooting a career-high 40.5% from the field and making a career-high 63 3-pointers. She scored 20 or more points in nine games as a senior.
“You can see with her explosiveness, in particular, if she can play that combo guard position, and her scoring ability (that she) would be someone that you could see having an immediate impact,” ESPN’s LaChina Robinson said.
South Carolina historically has had 13 players get selected in the draft. A’ja Wilson is the only one to be selected No. 1 overall, doing so in 2018.
GAMECOCKS IN MOCK DRAFT BOARDS
All draft boards listed are first round only
Aliyah Boston
ESPN — No. 1 overall, Indiana Fever
The Athletic — No. 1 overall, Indiana Fever
CBS Sports — No. 1 overall, Indiana Fever
Winsidr — No. 1 overall, Indiana Fever
Zia Cooke
CBS Sports — No. 12 overall, Minnesota Lynx
Brea Beal
ESPN — No. 7 overall, Indiana Fever
The Athletic — No. 7 overall, Indiana Fever
CBS Sports — No. 7 overall, Indiana Fever
Laeticia Amihere
ESPN — No. 8 overall, Atlanta Dream
The Athletic — No. 9 overall, Seattle Storm
