The South Carolina Gamecocks put together a dominant season, finishing 36-1, built on a historic defense. Bolstered by an all-time great Senior class, “The Freshies,” the Gamecocks made three straight Final Fours, and with Seniors moving onto the W, what might they bring to the professional game?

Aliyah Boston sets the table for this group. The 2022 National Player of the Year, two-time Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, and a multiple-time All-American; Boston earned every accolade in the collegiate ranks. 

It isn’t easy to pinpoint a hole in Boston’s game, and South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley indirectly illuminated why recently. When asked about whether or not Aliyah would return to SC or go pro, Staley said that “She’s ready to see single coverage.” 

Boston has been double and triple-teamed most of the season. 

A multitude of players have been strong post presences, but what makes the idea of Boston playing against straight-up defenses so compelling is what makes her such a unique prospect and player; her feel for the game.

Feel can be a bit of a blanket statement, but to me, it represents an intangible: How does a player see the court? How do they react to something new from an offense or defense, and how quickly? How do they flip a disadvantageous situation? 

Boston has an elite feel for the game. She’s adept at sensing and maneuvering through secondary defenders, often seen when attacking the low post. Her ability to culminate footwork, touch, and coordination in a condensed lane made her remarkably difficult to stop, even with junk defenses. 

She also brings high-quality passing vision, lofting touch passes on high lows, throwing bullet skip passes to the weak side of the court, and even sneaking in the occasional highlight reel dime. 

One of the great joys in watching SC’s offense this season was rewinding to see how Aliyah saw and approached possessions. Her ability to use her eyes and ball fakes to manipulate opponents to shade in a direction to open up a quick pass always stands out. 

Boston won her DPOY awards through her feel for the game. She blows up plays before they happen, stifles actions with her positioning, and is incredibly intentional with every movement roaming the paint. Her tools make her a very good defender, but her understanding of the game, timing, and know-how make her a great one.

With a solid handle, a jumper to be optimistic about, and the ability to impact winning in every facet of the game, Aliyah Boston has the potential to be whatever she desires to be at the next level, and I, for one, cannot wait to watch her hit the ground running.

Two-guard, Zia Cooke, grew as a player this year in a way that boosted her draft stock in my eyes. She made quicker decisions with the ball in her hands, improved her efficiency (She shot her highest percentage on twos in her career as a Senior), and established herself as a consistent two-way presence. She’s fiery at the point of attack with active hands and the functional strength to thwart drives. 

Shot-making is Cooke’s signature skill, without question.

Cooke is adept at getting to her spots around the elbow off the bounce and creating space with an array of dribble moves. She puts immense pressure on the rim with her downhill guile. She is a dynamic transition threat, finishing in the 99th percentile of fastbreak points per 40 minutes in Division 1, according to CBB Analytics. Cooke packs a punch with her ability to attack a tilted defense and the confidence she does it with. She rarely hesitates; if she’s going to attack the basket, she’s going to attack the basket.

She found greater consistency with her outside jumper this season, upping her volume, shooting 35.2% on her catch and shoot 3’s, per Instat Scouting. Continuing to grow as a movement shooter could be essential for Cooke moving forward. As the league increasingly values pace, spacing, and shooting, Zia Cooke is an exciting prospect in the coming draft.

There are few players who make routine plays highlight-worthy, let alone on defense; Brea Beal is one of those few.

The 6’1 wing is a multi-faceted defender, capable of taking on any array of defensive assignments and making an impact. South Carolina would often start her off on a lesser perimeter threat to allow her to roam off of the ball, stunt into drives, attack passing lanes, and be a deterrent. However, Beal’s ability to navigate screens and stay in front of like-sized players is impressive as well.

Both Beal and Boston understandably finished in the top four of Naismith Defensive Player of the Year voting. So much of what made the Gamecocks a historic defensive team was built on what they could do by neutralizing ball screens. 

Think of pick and rolls and containing them as a two-player function; you can do so with rim protection, but that’s one part of the equation. Getting stops or forcing difficult shots is a by-product of squeezing an action, aka putting pressure on from where the action started and where it’s going. If it’s that much harder for a ball-handler to get over a screen or into the paint, it will be much easier for the screen defender to flourish. Beal and Boston made one another’s lives easier, something they’ll do for others at the next level.

Much the same as with Cooke, Beal is really exciting to imagine playing in the W as it’s tactically and conceptually progressing.

Her offensive numbers don’t stand out, a sticking point with some scouts, but it’s worth noting how deep SC played (often 11 deep) and how minimal starters’ minutes were compared to others entering the draft. That context matters. There’s more to Beal’s offensive game than often gets discussed.

She can handle and drive the ball, moving in the flow of the offense. Her passing went incredibly underrated this season, capable of making quality live dribble passes. She’s excellent as a high-low and post-entry facilitator. Her jumper grew both in efficacy and volume this season (38% from 3 on 2.7 attempts per game).

Continual growth in volume as a jump-shooter will undoubtedly be pivotal, but that’s a highly developable skill. Beal has the foundation to become a highly impactful and versatile player at a time when the league is searching for more and more players who can fill that mold.

Laeticia Amihere is an incredibly impactful frontcourt player with some of college basketball’s most fun highlights.

She’s a top-notch shot-blocker, an incredibly switchy perimeter defender, and can handle and pass the ball like few can with a 6’4 frame. Her touch and jumper are question marks and will be essential to utilizing her court vision and playmaking more. However, there just aren’t players and prospects like Amihere often. 

For every question mark presented, you can throw on tape of Amihere stifling star players on the ball, blocking them at the rim, and then throwing an outlet pass to a streaming player in transition.

Laeticia Amihere is the most interesting prospect in the 2023 WNBA Draft (You can read more about her here in the 2022 FIBA Recap, where she played for Team Canada.)

The Freshies impacted college basketball for four years at the highest level, winning games, stacking up individual and collective accolades, and putting together stellar team play. I can’t wait to watch them acclimate to the W and grow within it in the coming seasons.

Boston, Cooke, Beal, and Amihere are eligible for the 2023 WNBA Draft.

WNBA reporter Mark Schindler writes a column on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at @MG_Schindler. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.