(CNN) After a stellar collegiate career, Aliyah Boston was selected first by Indiana Fever in the 2023 WNBA draft.
The 21-year-old played for the South Carolina Gamecocks her entire time and was the unanimous choice to finish No. 1 on her big day.
The Indiana Fever didn’t let their chance pass by, snapping up the senior who would help reverse the fate of the Fever ahead of the 2023 season.
Boston is a brilliant defender and will be able to provide her new team with some much-needed protection at this end of the pitch. While Boston didn’t show it as fluently in her senior year of college, the forward is also a major offense on offense and could cement herself as a brilliant two-way player in the WNBA.
This was demonstrated during her final collegiate campaign, when the 6-foot-1 forward posted an impressive 13 points, 9.8 rebounds and two blocks per game.
In 2022, Boston became the first player to be named both Naismith Women’s Defenseman of the Year — which she retained that season — and Naismith Women’s Player of the Year, the honor given to the top female basketball player in college.
Boston also led her team to the 2022 NCAA championship during her incredibly successful stint with the Gamecocks — including a 42-game, 389-day winning streak that dates back to last season’s national title run.
Boston excelled throughout her collegiate career with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
With the second pick, the Minnesota Lynx selected Diamond Miller before the Dallas Wings completed the top five with three straight picks.
Despite an Elite Eight exit, Miller played the entire March Madness for Maryland and showed what she could offer the Lynx.
The senior averaged 19.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and showed off her skills on the defensive end with 2.1 steals per game and 1.3 blocks per game – and showed off her impressive skills at both ends on the floor.
With the No. 3, the Wings selected Maddy Siegrist of Villanova, trading for Iowa State’s Stephanie Soares at No. 4 before landing UConn’s Lou Lopez Sénéchal at No. 5 in a draft night that will hugely change the course Dallas’ future.
In addition to Boston, the Gamecocks had drafted two other players in the first round, with Laeticia Amihere and Zia Cooke being picked at No. 8 and No. 10, respectively.
The brilliant night for South Carolina didn’t end there as Brea Beal and Victaria Saxton were voted No. 24 and No. 25 respectively.
It’s a testament to the brilliant work head coach Dawn Staley is doing on the program and the Gamecocks’ success over the past few seasons.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley (center) saw five of her players drafted.
If you’re wondering where Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark were selected, league rules prevented the pair from entering the WNBA draft and will only qualify for the 2024 WNBA draft.
This means that both Reese and Clark will have at least one more year of college basketball before they’re allowed to move to the pro league.