Final projections for South Carolina women’s basketball players ahead of WNBA Draft

The South Carolina women’s basketball team could make history – again – during Monday night’s 2023 WNBA Draft in New York City.

After setting a school record with 36 wins in 2022-23, coach Dawn Staley’s program is positioned to send four players to the professional ranks.

All-American forward Aliyah Boston remains the consensus pick to go No. 1 in the draft, forwards Brea Beal and Laeticia Amihere are projected mid-first round picks and guard Zia Cooke is another likely selection among the draft’s three rounds and 36 total picks.

South Carolina hasn’t had a No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick since the Las Vegas Aces took A’ja Wilson No. 1 overall in 2018 and hasn’t had three first-round picks since 2017 (Kaela Davis, Allisha Gray and Alaina Coates). USC’s never had four players picked in a single draft.

Heading into Monday’s draft (7 p.m., ESPN), here are the latest projections for where members of USC’s memorable 2022-23 team — which lost to Iowa in the Final Four after a perfect regular season and SEC Tournament championship — will land.

F Aliyah Boston

The Athletic: No. 1 to the Indiana Fever

CBS Sports: No. 1 to the Indiana Fever

ESPN: No. 1 to the Indiana Fever

Sports Illustrated: No. 1 to the Indiana Fever

No surprises here. Boston has been the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft for a long time and will enter the WNBA as the most decorated player in USC history. Among many career highlights for the 6-foot-5 Boston, three telling statistics: She won the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year award four seasons in a row; she played in 138 of 138 possible games at USC; and she had better career averages against ranked opponents (15.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 2.8 bpg) than overall opponents (14.1 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.4 bpg). She’ll provide an immediate offensive and defensive boost to the Fever, who were a league-worst 5-31 last season.

F Brea Beal

The Athletic: No. 7 to the Indiana Fever

CBS Sports: No. 7 to the Indiana Fever

ESPN: No. 7 to the Indiana Fever

Sports Illustrated: No. 7 to the Indiana Fever

The Fever already have one former Gamecock on the roster in 2022 national champion Destanni Henderson. Mock drafters are confident they’ll make it three Monday night after drafting Boston No. 1 and circling back for Beal at No. 7 (the Fever own this pick via trade with the Dallas Wings). The 6-1 Beal was an honorable mention All-American and finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the year award that her teammate Boston won. She can play and guard multiple positions, making her an ideal fit for the modern game, and shot a career-high 38% on 3-pointers as a senior. She was also second on the team in total assists.

F Laeticia Amihere

The Athletic: No. 9 to the Seattle Storm

CBS Sports: No. 8 to the Atlanta Dream

ESPN: No. 8 to the Atlanta Dream

Sports Illustrated: N/A

There’s a bit more ambiguity with Amihere, who had a career year as a senior reserve and is widely regarded as someone with her best basketball ahead of her. Like Beal, Amihere is switchable and versatile at 6-4. The former No. 10 overall national recruit also has Olympic experience with Team Canada. Amihere’s 7.1 points per game and 48.7% shooting as a senior were both career highs. In postseason play, she jumped to 9.0 points on 52.0% shooting.

G Zia Cooke

The Athletic: N/A

CBS Sports: No.12 to the Minnesota Lynx

ESPN: N/A

Sports Illustrated: N/A

Cooke’s name would likely be popping up on more WNBA mock drafts if they extended past the first round. She led the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game this season and showed off her skills on the biggest stages, with a postseason-high 24 points against Tennessee in the SEC title game and Iowa in the Final Four. After an efficient senior season, the dynamic Cooke could flirt with first-round status — The Athletic mentioned her as a possibility for the Los Angeles Sparks’ No. 10 pick — or drop to a lower round a la Henderson (No. 20 in the 2022 draft).

Two more Gamecocks enter WNBA Draft

South Carolina guard Kierra Fletcher (4.4 ppg, 2.0 apg) and forward Victaria Saxton (4.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg) also formally filed for inclusion as WNBA Draft candidates, according to a news release from the league last week. Both players were regular starters last season for South Carolina.

How to watch the 2023 WNBA Draft

• What: 2023 WNBA Draft

• When: Monday, April 10, 7 p.m.

• Where: Spring Studios New York

• TV: ESPN

• Stream: Via ESPN or the ESPN app