It turns out that Indiana Fever is now a go-to location for top college basketball prospects. For the second year in a row, this prestigious basketball franchise was able to grab the best NCAA names. While there was a lot of build-up before Caitlin Clark was drafted, let’s not forget that the locker room has one more standout athlete in the form of Aliyah Boston.

The 22-year-old was the top choice for the 2012 WNBA champions in the 2023 edition of the drafts. However, this didn’t come as a surprise given the accomplished resume she has built under Dawn Staley.

What made the Indiana Fever choose Aliyah Boston?

The four illustrious years with the Gamecocks are a testament to the immense talent that the 6 ft 5 in forward has. A national champion herself, Boston was one of the most entrusted athletes for Staley in that locker room. Capping off her NCAA career by maintaining a double-double average both in points (14.1) and rebounds (10.8), there is hardly an accolade that escaped her grasp when she hung up her boots. Moreover, wearing the No.4 South Carolina jersey, Boston was the program’s leader in consecutive games started (138), grabbing rebounds (1,493), Offensive rebounds (518), Defensive rebounds (975), Double-doubles (82) and Triple-doubles .

Further, the 4x All-American is also their best performer in the SEC. As it turns out, she has grabbed a total of 729 rebounds in the conference out of which 485 are defensive. The 165 blocks also place her first along with the 42 double-doubles. These immaculate numbers have resulted in her receiving the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year in all of her seasons. Additionally, Boston is the 2x recipient of the SEC Player of the Year and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. On four occasions she was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. The icing on the cake is obviously her winning the National Player of the Year in 2022. Also, she became the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in her national championship-winning campaign.

Boston’s majestic debut season in the WNBA

Donning the No.7 at Indianapolis, Boston didn’t let her guard down after entering the professional realm of the sport. She featured in all 40 games for the Fever. As a starter, she scored an average of 14.5 points and also collected 8.4 rebounds in every contest. Boston showcased what an asset she is while shooting with a field goal percentage of 57.8 and a beyond-the-arc accuracy of 40%. As a result, the All-Star emerged as a WNBA Rookie of the Year in her debut season.

The presence of Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston on the same team is scary for their opposition. Hardly anyone would argue that both these athletes are the cream of the crop when it comes to women’s college basketball. It is sure to be an enthralling experience to witness them playing side by side in the upcoming days.