The South Carolina Gamecocks won their second national title. (0:54)
Do-overs are not always the case in sports. The shot that bounces off the rim is the stuff of sad memories and difficult dreams. The split second that can separate them is hard for athletes to deal with.
It was both motivation and aggravation for Aliyah Boston. She missed a putback at the end of the national semifinals last season that would have given the Gamecocks a victory. Her painful reaction has been repeated many times. Boston didn't need to see it again.
Boston's national championship with the Gamecocks supersedes any previous disappointment.
South Carolina completed a wire-to-wire race this season as the No. 1 team in women's college basketball, thanks to a 64-49 victory over Connecticut on Sunday in which Boston had 11 points and 16 rebound for her 29th double-double of the season.
Boston has become the best player in the women's college game, has improved on her skills, and realized that her voice is a gift she wants to use, as the culmination of a year of maturation in which she has become the best player in the women's college game. Boston was determined to get her next chance at a national championship after she missed a shot in San Antonio.
South Carolina won its first title in 2017: a program breakthrough and a do-over of sorts for coach Dawn Staley, who as a player at Virginia went to the women's Final Four three consecutive years yet didn't win a championship. She earned gold medals as a point guard for USA Basketball. After the NCAA trophy was in her hands, she realized that she had never completely forgiven the ghost of her college career.
It was not as haunting for Boston as it was for others. The native of the Virgin Islands has never been pushed to succeed. The drive came naturally.
Her father said that she was always ready to get up and go.
Her mother said that she has always been very determined. She has always had that. She was willing to do whatever it took.
Boston knew how close she was to playing for the NCAA title when the 2020 tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Destanni Henderson sinks a layup in transition after Aliyah Boston jumps high for a block.
Boston has won every national player of the year award so far this season because of the consistency of her performance as the anchor inside on offense and defense. She could be a force in the NBA right now, but she isn't old enough to be drafted as a junior.
She reached this level in her third college season because of better diet and fitness routines, workouts with NBA legend Tim Duncan, and last year's memory. She missed the putback, but she needed some luck.
Her parents spoke to the media at Target Center on Thursday after Boston was named player of the year. They weren't on hand to embrace her after South Carolina's loss because of ongoing COVID-19 regulations.
I wanted to cry. Al said it was good to let her go through it and understand it.
It broke my heart. We only had to pray and know that it will work out in the end, but that doesn't help the situation now.
She always sends her daughter scriptures, reminding her of the greater purpose of feeling despair over something that isn't working out.
When she missed that shot, I think it worked out for her, she would have wanted to win anyway, but she just continued to push, to set new goals for herself and her team. This year speaks for itself.
South Carolina's Aliyah Boston is in the right spot after missing a shot and is able to make a layup.
Boston set an SEC record with 27 consecutive double-doubles and was named the player of the year. While campaigning hard for Boston to get the individual honors she has, she also acknowledged that those weren't all that important to Boston.
Boston was so focused on the championship that other things were not a distraction. She did not only think about basketball. Boston is committed to social justice and equality as well as exploring her place in the world beyond sports.
Wilson said she told Boston to just be herself, and that the media tries to turn her against other players. Don't mind that. You cannot control that. Control what you can and be who you are.
Boston has a growing awareness of her importance in the sport, along with what she means in particular to children who watch her in Columbia, South Carolina, and back home in the Virgin Islands.
Her parents smiled as they were told that she did a presentation on someone from the Virgin Islands who inspired them. The little girl colored her hair blue in honor of Boston, who is known for her colorful braids.
She still had to climb the hill after the loss, but the national championship shows the purpose of that hill. There is more to Boston than the ring she will get and the honors she has earned.
Boston said that he should be able to speak up if he thinks something is wrong. People are going to have opinions.
Not everything is going to go your way. Everything in life is sports-related. Being able to speak up and use your voice, especially being a person of color, is like having your ground.
Boston is standing stronger than ever now that she has a championship trophy.
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