Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston was shocked by how her former coach, the South Carolina Gamecocks’ Dawn Staley, once assessed her after a game. On Monday, March 30, user @togethxr on X/Twitter uploaded a clip from WNBA legend Sue Bird’s “Birds Eye View” podcast, which recently had Boston as a guest.
Bird asked Boston how it felt to play under Staley during her college hoops tenure. Boston debunked any false narratives that may have been associated with Staley’s coaching style. In the process, Boston shared a story of how Staley used to talk ill of her in an attempt to motivate her to work harder and perform better.
“We had one time in The Bahamas where I think I ended the game literally with a double-double. We won. And after the game, she was like, ‘You need to be better, like you are awful. You’re not gonna, like, if you’re gonna be playing this way, then you’re not gonna help us win anything. ‘And I was like, I remember finishing out of the team meeting, and I went straight to my parents ’cause they were there,” Boston said (0:27).
“And I was like, ‘Y’all don’t even know what coach Staley just said to me. I was like, ‘I’m so irritated.’ I’m like, ‘Why would she say that?’ And then after I left, coach Staley literally came up to my parents and was like, ‘I want y’all to know. I just said a whole bunch of stuff to Aliyah, and she’s probably gonna be so pissed, but I just want you to know that.’ And so my parents, they didn’t tell me that ’til like completely after the fact, but I was like, she knew exactly what to say to like turn it up,” she continued.
For now, Boston will enter her fourth year in the WNBA come the 2026 season. The standout forward was drafted in the 2023 WNBA Draft with the first overall pick in the first round by coach Stephanie White’s team. Meanwhile, Staley is looking to lead her South Carolina-based program to this year’s national championship game, as they are currently in the Elite Eight.
Aliyah Boston And Dawn Staley Won The 2022 NCAA Championship Together
For all of the unorthodox ways that Dawn Staley used to coach Aliyah Boston, it may have worked in their favor, as during the latter’s time in college basketball, she won the 2022 NCAA title under Staley.
They did so by defeating coach Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies by 15 points, 64-49, for their program’s second national championship at the time. In the game, Boston dropped 11 points, to go with 16 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Also Read: After Dawn Staley’s Comment on SEC Tournament Loss, Candace Parker And Aliyah Boston Compare Pat Summitt And South Carolina HC
Read More: Dawn Staley Shouts on Top of Her Voice to Welcome Jerzy Robinson; A’ja Wilson Sends Invaluable Advice for South Carolina Recruit
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