South Carolina basketball legend Aliyah Boston is back in the Final Four. Well, she sort of is anyway.
After making the Final Four each year in college (her Gamecocks made the Final Four three times as the 2019-2020 season had its NCAA Tournament canceled due to Covid-19), Boston will be part of ESPN's broadcast team for the Final Four this weekend in Cleveland. She will work alongside the audience-beloved team of Andraya Carter, Chiney Ogwumike, and Elle Duncan. Hall of Fame coach Carolyn Peck (who worked with the crew on College GameDay and was a color analyst on the worldwide leader) also will be part of the studio coverage.
Her work with the Big 10 provides Boston with familiarity with Caitlin Clark and Iowa, and her status as a South Carolina basketball alum gives her a lot of insight into Dawn Staley's Gamecocks, as well. Next season, it is expected that Clark will be Boston's teammate with the Indiana Fever as Clark is the favorite to be the top selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft, a pick owned by the Fever.
Boston also will bring another former player's voice to the analyst table as she joins Carter, Ogwumike, and Peck in that regard.
The unanimous WNBA Rookie of the Year this past season was the Naismith National Player of the Year during the 2021-2022 season and won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year honor all four years she was in college. She won the 2021-2022 national title with the Gamecocks and made two other Final Fours, so Boston will be able to provide some experiential insight with her analysis.
The Final Four will begin on Friday as the South Carolina Gamecocks will take on the NC State Wolfpack at 7:00 PM ESTgarnet and cocky. The game will be shown on ESPN and streamed on the ESPN app.