South Carolina Basketball: A’ja Wilson, Alaina Coates reunited in WNBA
By Kevin Miller
Dawn Staley’s South Carolina basketball squad won the National Championship in the 2016-2017, and two of the best players on the team were Aja Wilson and Alaina Coates. Wilson, the future National Player of the Year, 1st-overall WNBA Draft selection, and two-time WNBA MVP played alongside another 4x All-SEC frontcourt player in Coates.
Aja Wilson has played her entire professional career with the Las Vegas Aces, while Coates has bounced around to different teams (and even different leagues). On Wednesday, though, Coates signed a contract to reunite with Wilson as a member of the Las Vegas Aces franchise.
Earlier this season, Coates had short stints with the Atlanta Dream and the Phoenix Mercury. The contract with the Aces marks Coates’ eighth WNBA stop (with seven different teams as she was with the Atlanta Dream twice).
In her professional playing days, Coates has never been able to get going as injuries have been a major factor in her career. She has not played a full season since her second campaign in 2018.
Her roster spot with the Aces will not be one that is expected to play many minutes, but her size (6’4″ and with strong box-out ability) can’t be taught. If the Aces need a big body for a short stretch, Coates can fill that role.
Coates’ contract is a 7-day contract, but with a large lead in the standings, the 24-2 Aces could be in line to play more of their reserves over that stretch, giving Coates a greater opportunity to earn a second deal from the franchise.
During her South Carolina basketball career, Alaina Coates averaged over 12 points per game, over 9 rebounds per contest, and more than 1.5 blocks per night. She is 13th in program history in scoring, 3rd in rebounding, and 3rd in blocked shots. In rebounding, she only trails Sheila Foster and Aliyah Boston, and in blocked shots, she is only behind Boston and Wilson.