Aliyah Boston’s Top 2 2026 WNBA Draft Picks Don’t Come from Dawn Staley’s Program

Under Dawn Staley, South Carolina has become a pipeline to WNBA hardcourts. Three Gamecocks heard their names called in the 2025 WNBA draft alone. Te-Hina Paopao landed with the Atlanta Dream, Bree Hall went to the Indiana Fever, and Sania Feagin found a home with the Los Angeles Sparks.

In fact, at least one Gamecock has been drafted in nine of the last 11 years, including 11 first-rounders. A’ja Wilson started it off as No. 1 in 2018, and Aliyah Boston carried that crown when the Indiana Fever picked her first overall in 2023. Since 2020, South Carolina’s 12 total draft selections are tied for the most in the nation, with six going in Round 1.

As another college season approaches, Boston’s got some early predictions for the 2026 WNBA Draft that might surprise the Gamecock fandom.

Can Gamecock Rival Stars Really Headline the 2026 WNBA Draft? Aliyah Boston Thinks So

Recently, on the latest episode of ‘Post Moves with Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston’, Boston was asked who she’s betting on to go in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Draft. Almost instantaneously, the first name Boston said was “Azzi (Fudd).”

Then, when the question came back, “So, you got Azzi Fudd?”, Boston doubled down. “Yep. Okay, you see Lauren Betts, she’s coming out,” added Boston. And just like that, the former No. 1 pick picked two of her biggest college rivals. However, the picks were not made without reason.

Azzi Fudd, the UConn sharpshooter, has been all over the headlines since last season. She was, in fact, eligible for the 2025 WNBA Draft. Instead of going pro, Fudd decided to return for another year in Storrs.

Last season, she averaged 13.6 points per game on a 43.6% from deep. In the NCAA Tournament, she scored 24 points in the national championship game against none other than South Carolina, helping UConn win its 12th title. Perhaps that’s why even ESPN’s mock draft agrees with Boston.

ESPN’s mock draft pegs her at No. 3 overall to the Seattle Storm, praising her as “an elite player when healthy, especially as a perimeter scorer.” After battling injuries for two seasons, Fudd’s redemption arc feels almost cinematic and necessary. Then, there’s Betts.

Lauren Betts, the 6-foot-7 powerhouse from UCLA, has been redefining what dominance in the paint looks like. The reigning national defensive player of the year averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. She broke single-season records for blocks.

ESPN projects her as the No. 1 overall pick to the Dallas Wings, calling her “a traditional center with elite low-block play.” With that kind of production, it is not surprising that Boston puts her in the top 2. Still, Boston made sure to give her alma mater its due.

“Every Gamecock that’s coming out is a first-rounder,” Boston added. And no doubt, history backs her up. In 2017 and 2023, South Carolina had three players taken in the first ten picks, one of only seven programs ever to do that. The Gamecocks even saw five players drafted in 2023 alone, one of the largest draft classes from a single school in modern WNBA history.

And ESPN’s 2026 Mock Draft suggests that the pipeline is still alive. South Carolina’s Ta’Niya Latson is sitting comfortably in the top 10, projected to land with the Toronto Tempo, while Madina Okot is listed at No. 15. Even with injuries to stars like Chloe Kitts, the Gamecocks’ depth remains unmatched.

So while Boston’s loyalty still bleeds garnet and black, she’s calling it how she sees it. The next WNBA Draft, she says, belongs to her rivals.