When Al and Cleone Boston sent their daughters, Alexis and Aliyah, to live with Cleone's sister in Massachusetts, they only had one thing in mind: opportunity.
For them, it was about giving their daughters the chance to pursue their dreams through a college education, and they had a better chance in America than the family's native St. Thomas.
Now, Aliyah is about to play on women's basketball's biggest stage, the national championship game at the NCAA Women's Final Four. It's obvious her parents' hopes for her were just the beginning.
"Our goal was a college scholarship, but God has given us a whole lot more than that. (Aliyah) has had a tremendous journey thus far," Cleone said. "To see her continue to set goals and work towards them, it's been really good."
Aliyah left home when she was 12 years old. She and big sister Alexis moved in with Cleone's sister, Jenaire Hodge, and her daughter, Kira, in a two-bedroom apartment in Worcester, Massachusetts. Now 20, the South Carolina junior forward is the owner of multiple national player of the year awards, All-America and Academic All-America recognitions, and program records.
No matter what happens on the court, however, her family keeps her grounded and focused on the opportunity ahead.
"We have two daughters, and our goal was always to make the best available to them. Going to school, your education is important, but not necessarily to find an 8-5 job. We've always encouraged our kids, if you want to study medicine, set your goal to one day own your own practice," Cleone said.
"It was always about getting an education so that you can take care of yourself and not depend on me and dad, become a contributing member of society where you choose to live, and to be a blessing to others. The only way you're going to do that is to be equipped to stand on your own two feet."
So much of the Boston family's outlook in life is rooted in faith. Cleone has encouraged her daughter to seize the moment because it doesn't happen every day.
"We tell Aliyah to believe. There is nothing you can't do," Cleone said. "We tell her speak what you want out of life and watch God make it happen. … There might be bumps in the road, but that doesn't stop your end destiny."
"God is at the forefront of everything that happens in our life. … He's already written everything down in his book," Aliyah said. "So that's just a reminder to not go into the game with any kind of nerves because it's already written, and the game is in God's hands.
After South Carolina's Elite Eight victory over Creighton, head coach Dawn Staley emphasized how important Aliyah's maturity is to her game.
"I think when you've had to play under the gun like Aliyah has all season long, she's mature enough to handle it. She's grounded. She knows who she is, and she never gets out in front of anything. She just takes the day as it comes," Staley said.
Boston, a junior forward, has racked up multiple national player of the year awards on her way to the national championship game Sunday night. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel / NCAA Photos)Â
Aliyah's play continues to be a lot for opponents to handle. In South Carolina's 72-58 victory over Louisville in the national semifinals Friday, Aliyah racked up a double-double in the second half alone on her way to 23 points and 18 rebounds for the night. In the three victories starting with the Sweet 16 win over North Carolina, she is averaging 23.3 points and 15.7 rebounds per game.
UConn draws the task of trying to stop her next, with the national championship game between the Huskies and Gamecocks set for 8 p.m. Eastern time Sunday on ESPN.
"I don't think it's a stretch to say that she might be the hardest person in America to guard," UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said. "She scores if there's one, two, three, four people on her. It doesn't matter. She's able to carve out the space she wants. She gets the ball on the rim whenever she wants. She rebounds whichever ball she goes after. She just has a knack."
This isn't Aliyah's first appearance at the Women's Final Four, with South Carolina having come oh-so-close in the national semifinals last year in a 66-65 loss to eventual national champion Stanford. But none of what happens next for Aliyah comes without the opportunity she was presented at South Carolina.
"It's helping her grow into who she wants to be," Cleone said. "We didn't have a clue that top DI would be an option. We didn't rule it out, but it was just to get into a really good school where you could learn, get your degree and come out to start your own business or (pursue) your field of study.
"We're thankful for her time at South Carolina that's been, how she put it, 'The best decision she's ever made.'"
