Former Gamecock great Boston named AP Rookie of the Year
Aliyah Boston, a former Gamecock great, concluded her rookies season being named Associated Press Rookie of the Year.
Boston had a productive first season in the WNBA, positing 14.5 points and 8.4 rebounds on nearly 60 percent shooting from the floor.
In the process of helping the Indiana Fever double their win total from a year ago, Boston became just the eighth player in WNBA history to receive at least three Rookie of the Month nods.
Breanna Stewart narrowly edged Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson by one vote from the 12-member media. Alyssa Thomas was third in voting. Stewart and Wilson finished one-two in the balloting last year also with the Aces’ star winning the league’s MVP award.
Wilson was selected as the AP’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, edging Thomas and Washington’s Brittney Sykes. Wilson anchored the Aces’ defense, averaging 2.2 blocks and 1.4 steals. Las Vegas earned the top seed in the playoffs.
Other AP winners included:
— Comeback Player of the Year: Brittney Griner and Napheesa Collier. Griner missed all of last year after spending nearly 10 months in a Russian prison. She averaged 17.5 points this year. Collier missed nearly all of last season after giving birth to her first child. She averaged 21.5 points and 8.5 rebounds to help Minnesota earn the sixth seed in the playoffs.
