Three-time WNBA champion A’ja Wilson spent her collegiate career playing for the South Carolina Gamecocks under coach Dawn Staley. However, she once revealed that it was not her first choice heading into college.
In 2023, Wilson appeared on the “All the Smoke” podcast. When questioned about whether she always wanted to play for South Carolina, the Las Vegas Aces star said she was looking forward to joining the North Carolina Tar Heels.
“I really wanted to go to the University of Chapel Hill,” Wilson said. “Because the boys were cute! … I was about to sign that dotted line on my official visit, because I was like, ‘Oh yeah, they see me here.'”
“That was the only time. But I remember when I had to call my coaches, call the coaches to say I wasn’t coming, my mom was like, ‘Well, if you don’t want to go to South Carolina, you’re going to have to call Dawn Staley, a black woman, yourself, and tell her that you’re not wanted to be coached by her.’ And I was like, when you put it like that, this basketball thing might be something good. So yeah, South Carolina was my strong second and I’m so glad that I chose it,” she added.
After her collegiate career, the Las Vegas Aces drafted A’ja Wilson with the first overall pick in 2018. In eight seasons, the four-time WNBA MVP has played in 267 games and averaged 21.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game.
Taking a Look at A’ja Wilson’s South Carolina Career
A’ja Wilson joined the South Carolina Gamecocks as a freshman in 2014. During her freshman campaign, she played in 37 games and averaged 13.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, and 1.0 apg. Dawn Staley and her team made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament as SEC champions, while the center put up three single-season freshman records.
During her sophomore campaign, Wilson was honored as the SEC Player of the Year. The Gamecocks once again qualified for March Madness, but lost to Syracuse in the Sweet 16. Wilson averaged 16.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, and 1.4 apg.
She won her first and only national championship with the program during the 2016-17 season. However, the center’s best campaign came during her senior year, when she won all the Player of the Year awards while averaging 22.6 ppg, 11.8 rpg, and 1.7 apg.
Read More: Joyce Edwards Admits Oklahoma Stuck to Solid Game Plan Against Gamecocks Even as Defeat Loomed
Also Read: A’ja Wilson Pens Heartwarming Note As Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Star Nears End Of College Career
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