Aliyah Boston named to Late Season Awards Watch List

Alyah Boston, No. 4 in white, puts up a shot against Arkansas.
Aliyah Boston, No. 4, puts up a shot against Arkansas.

St. Thomas-born Aliyah Boston, who now plays for the University of South Carolina, was selected to the late season John Wooden Award watch list last week. Players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2020 John R. Wooden Women’s Player of the Year award.

Boston, a freshman, has recorded nine double-doubles this season and is averaging 13 points and 8.7 rebounds a game.

She is sixth in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 63.1 percent from the field, one spot behind St. Croix native Anisha George who plays for the University of North Texas.

Boston’s 2.8 blocked shots per game rank her 14th in the country and second in the SEC.

In a recent game, against No. 25 Arkansas on Thursday, she scored 18 points, on 7 of 8 shooting, hauled in 15 rebounds and blocked seven shots in the Gamecocks 86-65 victory.

No. 1 South Carolina will take on No. 4 UConn at 8 p.m. AST Monday on ESPN2.

Nine of the 20 players on the watch list featured in the 2019 Women’s Paradise Jam, while Rhyne Howard, Crystal Dangerfield and Michaela Onyenwere all played in the 2018 edition of the Virgin Islands tournament.

The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament.

The winner of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on Friday, April 10.

The Complete Late 20 Watch List:
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M
Kaila Charles, Maryland
Lauren Cox, Baylor
Elissa Cunane, NC State
Crystal Dangerfield, UConn
Rennia Davis, Tennessee
Chelsea Dungee, Arkansas
Dana Evans, Louisville
Kiah Gillespie, Florida State
Tyasha Harris, South Carolina
Ruthy Hebard, Oregon
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon
Aarion McDonald, Arizona
Michaela Onyenwere, UCLA
Ali Patberg, Indiana
Mikayla Pivec, Oregon State
Satou Sabally, Oregon
Megan Walker, UConn