Dawn Staley has identified 'next Aliyah Boston' ready to put women's college basketball on notice

Dawn Staley has identified the ‘next Aliyah Boston ’ ready to take women’s college basketball by storm for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

South Carolina have featured a dominant presence in their team for the past decade but following Kamilla Cardoso ’s rise into the WNBA, the college have been left wanting. Two-time WNBA champion A’ja Wilson came through the school before starring for the Las Vegas Aces before the Indiana Fever ’s Aliyah Boston took up the mantle.

All three stars have gone on to become household names in the WNBA after being NCAA champions with the Gamecocks. Despite Staley admitting that a force as great as Cardoso is difficult to replace, she revealed her big hopes for USC’s Adhel Tac.

• Dawn Staley has already sounded ominous warning to South Carolina rivals
• 'Maddy Mouse' has clear South Carolina women's basketball role under Dawn Staley

After enrolling early in January, Tac featured predominantly as a bench presence in the second-half of the campaign, but the 6ft 5in forward caught the eye during a pre-season exhibition game against Memphis, where she scored six points on 3-of-6 shooting and grabbed five rebounds in seven minutes and 38 seconds on court.

Tac has clearly impressed Staley during their time together as the renowned coach stated that she evokes memories of Boston during her collegiate career. “She’s got the makings of what we’ve had for the past 10 seasons, which was a dominant big,” Staley said.

“She has the makings of that, so we’re going to pour into her, not put too much pressure on her. Some of the stuff she did out there, she reminded me of an Aliyah Boston.”

Boston was a four-year starter for South Carolina, spearheading the Gamecocks to a national title in 2022 and winning two successive Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award and two consecutive SEC Player of the Year accolades before stepping into the WNBA with the Fever. There, she was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year last year and is a two-time WNBA All-Star.

But Tac has plenty of competition to nail down a place as a starter with forwards Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin starting at the four and five spots against Memphis. Star freshman Joyce Edwards is also listed as a forward and super-senior Sakima Walker remains the team’s only true center.

However, all the competition is good news for Staley, despite having to contend with a selection headache. The three-time NCAA champion coach believes that the players will push each other to new levels. “They only want the best for each other,” she said reflecting on the position battle.

“They’re learning, they’re growing, and it’s a healthy competition. So they are putting the pressure on the coaches to make a decision as to who to play when and how much. And that’s the way you want it.”