COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Associated Press preseason women’s All-America team is out and South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston is on the team.
Others named Tuesday include Paige Bueckers of UConn (a unanimous choice) as well as fellow sophomore Caitlin Clark of Iowa and two seniors, NaLyssa Smith of Baylor and Rhyne Howard of Kentucky.
Boston and Howard were on the preseason team last year. Bueckers was the first freshman to win the AP’s Player of the Year award as she helped UConn reach the Final Four last spring.
Boston is hoping the lead the Gamecocks to their first national title since 2017. Last year they came incredibly close, losing in the national semifinal game in the closing seconds. The Gamecocks are the preseason favorite to win it all by both the media and the coaches.
Boston was the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer last season. She finished last year with 11.5 rebounds a game (13th in the nation) and 2.6 blocks per game (18th in the nation.).
Boston’s career double-double average (13.1 ppg, 10.4 rpg) includes 13.2 ppg and 11.3 rpg in SEC games with 13.7 ppg and 11.5 rpg in 28 career games against ranked opponents.
Boston also became USC’s first CoSIDA Women’s Basketball Academic All-American of the Year.
The Gamecocks open the season in Columbia on Monday, November 1 against preseason No. 5 North Carolina State.