South Carolina basketball alum Alaina Coates was one of the best bigs in the history of the Gamecock basketball program. The Dutch Fork High School graduate spent four seasons in Columbia where she was named to the All-SEC team each of her seasons at USC.
Unfortunately for Coates, while her team won a National Championship during her senior season, the 6’4″ post player missed the entire postseason with an ankle injury. Still, the Chicago Sky drafted Coates with the 2nd pick of the 2017 WNBA Draft.
Her ankle injury held her back and derailed what could have been a special career. That didn’t stop Alaina Coates, however.
Coates would not go on to be an All-Star, but she never gave up and has had a seven-year career for multiple WNBA and international franchises.
On Wednesday, she was rewarded for her perseverance.
After signing three 7-day contracts with the Las Vegas Aces (reuniting her with college teammate Aja Wilson), Coates was signed to a contract with the team that would keep her in Vegas for at least the rest of the season.
Coates has not played a lot of minutes for the Aces, but she has provided much in terms of leadership and practice presence in the absence of All-Star forward Candace Parker who is dealing with her own ankle injury.
Coates will be with the team for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs with her new contract. That playoff run could be a long one as the Aces are the defending WNBA champs and appear even better in 2023.
It is somewhat poetic justice that the player who missed her college national championship run will have a chance at making a run to the finals in the WNBA.
Coates and Wilson will begin their playoff run on September 13th, likely as the 1-seed. The dynamic duo from South Carolina basketball will match up with the 8-seed. Currently, the 8-seed is slated to be the Los Angeles Sparks, basketball home for fellow Gamecock Zia Cook.