Meet Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 WNBA Draft pick poised to become a superstar with the Indiana Fever

A 6-foot-5 center from the US Virgin Islands, Boston dominated the paint from the very first moment she took the court for Dawn Staley's Gamecocks. She became the first player in Division I history to record a triple-double in her very first collegiate game, recording 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 blocks against the Alabama State Lady Hornets.

If Boston felt pressure after notching such a strong debut, she sure didn't show it. She'd go on to win the Lisa Leslie Award — presented to the top center in the country — that season and the following three.

She'd thrice earn unanimous All-American honors in addition to back-t0-back Defensive Player of the Year nods. And in her junior season, Boston would sweep just about every award available to her: unanimous National Player of the Year, Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and the national championship.

It was no surprise that she'd be a WNBA Lottery pick. The question was who would have the privilege of selecting her.

Considered one of the weakest teams in the WNBA for the past several years, Indiana has not put together a winning regular season since 10-time WNBA All-Star Tamika Catchings was the face of the franchise. In the six years since their legendary forward's retirement, the Fever have a paltry 45-147 record.

Unsurprisingly, Indiana has failed to qualify for the playoffs every year since Catchings' last game, and has only once won more than 10 games in a season.

But even despite their on-court woes — which brought them to the WNBA Draft Lottery in each of the past six years — the Fever never earned the top overall pick. In fact, not once in the franchise's entire 22-year existence had the team selected first in the draft.

Until this year, when a generational talent just happened to be waiting for them.

Nobody on site at the 2023 WNBA Draft at New York City's Spring Studios was surprised to hear Boston's name called first. And after posing with her new jersey and making her media rounds, the newly minted professional basketball player told the press she was "thankful to everybody in Indiana, just because they saw something in me."

"I'm excited to get in that Fever jersey, get with my teammates, and really get to work," she added later. "I think it's going to be an exciting season."

Fever fans should expect a polished package out of Boston, who knows what it takes to win and how to be consistent.

"I would say that I'm a great communicator, great teammate," Boston told Insider. "I'm very physical. I like to mix it up in the paint — that's what I'm gonna bring."

Boston exuded a quiet confidence as the face of the Gamecocks, leading them to a 129-9 record during her four-year career.

Even still, Boston admitted to having some superstitions she plans to continue minding as she heads into the pros.

"I never wear my jersey before I get on the court," she said. "Like, for warmups, I never do that."

She also "always" prays, though that's "not really a superstition."

"And I always listen to gospel music," Boston added.

It was apparent from a relatively young age that Boston was born to play basketball. Just three years after she discovered an intense love for the game, she exhibited such apparent talent that she — along with her sister, Alexis — moved away from their parents in St. Thomas to live with an aunt in Massachusetts.

The Boston family hoped the pair would have a better shot at academic and athletic success in New England than they could away from the mainland.

"When I first started playing, it was kind of just for fun," Boston told USA Basketball's Kyle Ringo. "But then I realized how much you could get out of playing."

Clearly, the gamble worked in their favor.

But before Boston made that life-changing move to Massachusetts, she was an avid tennis player. She told Insider it was — and continues to be — her favorite sport outside of basketball.

And given that Boston is a strong, dominant Black woman changing her own game, it's no surprise she picked "Serena Williams" as her favorite tennis star.

Boston was about as dominant as a player could be during her time with the Gamecocks. And after getting burned by her basketball brilliance a few too many times, opposing teams did the only thing they could to possibly slow her down: Throw bodies her way.

The superstar regularly faced double-, triple-, and even quadruple-teams during her junior and senior seasons in Columbia. So it's no surprise that she's ready to move on from the swarming defenses of the college game to the more spaced-out, structured systems of the WNBA — where defenders aren't permitted to spend more than three seconds at a time in the key.

"I'm glad that a defensive three seconds is a thing now," Boston told Insider. "I think it's gonna be a lot different."

Sure, Boston will have to deal with plenty of moving-related logistics before she starts exploring the city. But soon enough, she'll be calling Indianapolis home and "stepping into the real world," as she explained to Insider.

Finding top-notch cuisine — and some of her favorite staples — will undoubtedly be key to that effort. She told Insider that her preferred pregame meal is simply "salmon and mashed potatoes," but when she's letting loose, she loves "mac and cheese with some type of chicken."

Fever fans, hook her up!