The Freshies (basketball)

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The Freshies
Aliyah Boston
Zia Cooke
Brea Beal
Laeticia Amihere
Olivia Thompson

The Freshies were the 2019 recruiting class of the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball program. They were the number one recruiting class of the 2019–20 NCAA Division I season and played together until 2023. Developed under head coach Dawn Staley, they helped South Carolina win the 2022 national championship and reach the Final Four in all three NCAA tournaments they competed in. The class also won four Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season titles and three SEC tournament titles, finishing with a 129–9 record over four years.

The Freshies were led by forward Aliyah Boston, who was named national player of the year and NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player as a junior in 2021–22. Boston, with guards Zia Cooke and Brea Beal, started for South Carolina since their freshman season in 2019–20. Forward Laeticia Amihere was a key bench player and guard Olivia Thompson was a former walk-on who received limited playing time.

Considered one of the most accomplished recruiting classes in women's college basketball history, the Freshies helped transform South Carolina into the most dominant team in the nation. After four years, none of its members opted to return for a fifth season of eligibility. In the 2023 WNBA draft, Boston was the first overall pick, and Cooke, Beal and Amihere were selected later in the draft.

Background

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After the departure of star player A'ja Wilson in the previous season, South Carolina entered a rebuilding stage under head coach Dawn Staley in the 2018–19 season. The team finished the season with a 23–10 record and lost in the Sweet 16 of the 2019 NCAA tournament, and its team culture came under scrutiny.[1] Entering the 2019–20 season, they lost several key players from the 2018–19 team, including top scorer Te'a Cooper.[2] In August 2018, guard Olivia Thompson became the first member of the 2019 South Carolina recruiting class after accepting a walk-on offer. In November, the Gamecocks received commitments from four top recruits in the 2019 class: guards Zia Cooke and Brea Beal, and forwards Laeticia Amihere and Aliyah Boston.[3] All four were ranked top-11 in their class by ESPN at the end of their high school careers.[4] They were the number one recruiting class in the nation and one of the best in history.[3] Boston, Cooke and Beal were named McDonald's All-Americans, and only Stanford had as many players receive the honor.[5] After all members of the class signed with South Carolina, they created a group chat named "The Freshies" due to their freshman status. They kept the nickname after their freshman year.[3]

Career

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The Freshies at their final home regular season game in 2023

As freshmen in 2019–20, Boston, Cooke and Beal immediately entered the starting lineup for South Carolina.[2] Boston assumed a leading role, standing out as a rebounder and defender.[6][7] Cooke was one of the team's primary scorers, while Beal served as a defensive specialist, often guarding the opponents' best player.[8][9] Amihere came off the bench and was recovering from knee injuries from high school in her first season.[10] Thompson had a limited role but remained a fan favorite, as a Lexington, South Carolina native who had grown up supporting the Gamecocks, and earned a scholarship before her sophomore year.[11] They achieved a 32–1 record and finished as the AP No. 1 team for the first time in program history, while winning SEC regular season and tournament titles and going undefeated in conference play.[8][12] The 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the team was effectively named mythical national champions through the football-style polls. On December 31, 2020, before the start of the conference season, which the team raised a championship banner at Colonial Life Arena next to the 2017 championship for what effectively was a newspaper decision.[13] In the 2020–21 season, South Carolina won the SEC tournament.[14] They reached the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA tournament and finished with a 26–5 record.[15]

The Freshies helped acclimate South Carolina's top-ranked 2021 recruiting class, nicknamed "The Birdies", which included Raven Johnson, Sania Feagin and Bree Hall.[16] The 2021–22 team won the SEC regular season title and were ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the entire season, with a 34–2 record. They won the program's second national championship, and Boston was named national player of the year and NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player.[17][18][19] The 2022 banner was located next to the 2020 banner. In the 2022–23 season, the Freshies led South Carolina to its first undefeated regular season, as well as SEC regular season and tournament titles and its third consecutive Final Four. They were the wire-to-wire AP No. 1 team for a second straight season and achieved a 36–1 record.[20]

Aftermath

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The Freshies led South Carolina to a 129–9 record, including 60–1 at home, over four years.[20] Jeremiah Holloway of The State described the Freshies as one of the most accomplished recruiting classes in women's college basketball history, crediting them with South Carolina's dominance from 2019 to 2023.[16] Head coach Dawn Staley credits them with improving the culture of the program.[1]

Following their senior season, all members of the Freshies opted to end their college careers,[21] despite having a fifth season of eligibility granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] In the 2023 WNBA draft, Boston was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever, Amihere was the eighth pick to the Atlanta Dream and Cooke was the 10th pick to the Los Angeles Sparks. It was the first time that three seniors from the same team were selected in the first round since Notre Dame in 2019. Beal was chosen by the Minnesota Lynx with the 24th pick.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b Cloninger, David (April 1, 2023). "'The Freshies' leave Gamecocks with re-established culture as their greatest gift". The Post and Courier. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Breen, Richard (March 2, 2020). "The chemistry is 'overflowing': Newcomers provide catalyst for Gamecocks' return to top". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Cloninger, David (December 17, 2022). "Gamecocks' 'The Freshies' wanting to add more championships to USC coffers". The Post and Courier. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  4. ^ "2019 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  5. ^ Hadley, Greg (March 27, 2019). "'Building chemistry,' trio of future Gamecocks star in McDonald's All-American game". The State. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  6. ^ Megdal, Howard (March 19, 2020). "Freshman Star Aliyah Boston Can't Be Stopped". Slam. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  7. ^ Toland, Jennifer (January 14, 2020). "Colleges: Freshman Aliyah Boston a leader at South Carolina". Telegram & Gazette. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Boston, Cooke Earn National Freshman Honors". University of South Carolina Athletics. April 23, 2020. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  9. ^ Cloninger, David (February 19, 2020). "Like former Gamecock star Asia Dozier, USC's Brea Beal doesn't have to score to stand out". The Post and Courier. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Hadley, Greg (November 19, 2020). "She didn't start for USC as a touted freshman. Now 'she wants some of those minutes'". The State. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  11. ^ Wellbaum, Chris (August 6, 2020). "WBB: Thompson put on scholarship". Rivals. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Feinberg, Doug (March 18, 2020). "South Carolina finishes No. 1 in AP women's basketball poll". The Item. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  13. ^ Hadley, Greg (March 12, 2020). "Dawn Staley and South Carolina's special team deserve a better ending than this". The State. Archived from the original on September 19, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  14. ^ Kaplan, Phil (March 7, 2021). "South Carolina pulls away from Georgia for SEC Tournament women's basketball championship". Knoxville News Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  15. ^ Almond, Elliott (April 2, 2021). "Stanford advances to NCAA title game after edging South Carolina in chaotic finish". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Holloway, Jeremiah (March 27, 2023). "'Freshies' set the standard at South Carolina. 'Birdies' waiting in the wings to shine". The State. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  17. ^ Stone, Augusta (April 5, 2022). "Sweep! Gamecocks' Aliyah Boston wins all five national player of the year awards". The State. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  18. ^ "South Carolina pounds UConn, 64-49, to take women's basketball championship". NBC News. Associated Press. April 3, 2022. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  19. ^ Stone, Augusta (March 7, 2022). "No. 1 South Carolina's SEC tournament opponent is set. What to know for Friday". The State. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  20. ^ a b Adams, Emily (April 1, 2023). "South Carolina women's basketball had a historic season — with or without NCAA championship". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  21. ^ Tidwell, Sara (April 10, 2023). "Who are 'The Freshies'? Meet South Carolina's WNBA Draft prospects ready to make history". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  22. ^ "South Carolina's Cooke, Beal, Amihere enter WNBA draft". Associated Press. April 4, 2023. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  23. ^ Adams, Emily (April 10, 2023). "How trust in Dawn Staley led five South Carolina seniors to historic 2023 WNBA Draft". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
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