As players declare for the WNBA draft, questions about the status of star player and projected No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston remain.

And the South Carolina senior is not helping to quell them.

When asked if Monday’s Elite Eight win in Greenville would be her last in the state of South Carolina, Boston just smiled at the camera and then walked away.

“Is this your last game in the state of South Carolina?”

Aliyah Boston: @TheNextHoops #NCAAW #SECWBB #MarchMadness @GamecockWBB (videography is obvi not my passion) pic.twitter.com/X6hl5eJtKY

— Gabriella Lewis (she/her) (@_gabriellalewis) March 28, 2023

If Boston chooses to postpone her WNBA career, she could become the face of a trend in women’s basketball as players opt to use the extra year of eligibility granted to them by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of this season’s juniors and seniors would have the option to use that extra year.

Tennessee senior Tamari Key laid out why players might want to stay for another year, as she and her teammate Rickea Jackson both opted to return for another season with the Lady Vols.

The NCAA’s new name, image and likeness policy is one of those reasons. NIL deals have changed the game for a lot of players, as they can make money while still in school.

“You don’t really have to do anything (in college) except hoop, go to school and make money,” Boston sad. “In the real world, all of the sudden everything is coming at you, so I think it plays a major decision.”

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley thinks Boston should go to the league, she told the Greenville (S.C.) News in January.

“I do think Aliyah Boston should go. I do,” she said. “I think she’s ready to take on more of one-on-one play rather than the junk defenses.”

On Tuesday, Staley said that she has met with all of South Carolina’s seniors and that she’s “planning on not having them” next season.

“Regardless if we have some come back, or all of them leave, or all of them stay, we’re still in a position where we must continue to recruit, just in case,” she said. “But I think all of our seniors have put themselves in a position to be drafted.”

There is, of course, the WNBA’s perpetual problem of limited roster spots. Currently, there are 144 available spots across 12 teams, which doesn’t leave a lot of room for rookies. 

“I know there aren’t a lot of roster spots this particular year in the WNBA,” Staley said. “We are constantly feeding them with information that will help them make that decision to go or to stay… And I’m not going to sway them. I’m not going to try to convince them to come back.”

Even current WNBA players have spoken up in favor of players staying with their schools for another year.

“If I was in college I would stay,” wrote Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud, who cited NIL and the limited roster spots as why college players should stay in school.

I don’t know what college kid needs to hear this. STAY YOUR ASS IN SCHOOL.

1. NIL changed the game.
2. 144 spots.

If I was in college I would stay🤷🏽‍♀️

— Natasha Cloud (@T_Cloud4) March 28, 2023

Chicago Sky guard Diamond DeShields echoed the sentiment, and even inquired if she still could use her extra year of eligibility.

“I would’ve stayed and used my 5th year under the current climate of college basketball,” she wrote.

To whom it may concern …. I would’ve stayed and used my 5th year under the current climate of women’s college basketball 😊 . Also , does anyone know if I can still use that 5th year?!? 😂😂😂 kidding….wait…idk😅

— Diamond DeShields (@diamonddoesit1) March 28, 2023

Ultimately, whether or not Boston remains in South Carolina is up to her. But regardless of her decision, she’ll always consider the state home. 

“South Carolina has been a home for four years, somewhere where I really grew up so it’s always going to be that second home to me,” she said Monday. “And it’s going to feel so good when I come back whenever it is, visit, see everybody, see the coaches. It’s going to be really nice.”

The 2025 NCAA volleyball championship game is officially on lock, as No. 3-seed Texas A&M and No. 1-seed Kentucky survived Thursday's semifinals to punch their tickets to Sunday's season finale.

After snapping overall top-seed Nebraska's undefeated season in last weekend's Elite Eight round, The Aggies kept their history-making hot streak alive, blowing past No. 1 Pitt as the first team to sweep the Panthers all year.

Leading the charge for A&M were sophomore outside hitter Kyndal Stowers and senior opposite Logan Lednicky, who registered 16 and 14 kills, respectively, on the Final Four court in Kansas City.

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As for the last No. 1 seed standing, Kentucky survived No. 3 Wisconsin in a five-set thriller on Thursday, following the example of senior outside hitter Eva Hudson, whose 29 kills trailed only the semifinals-leading 32 posted by Badger senior outside hitter — and fellow AVCA Player of the Year finalist — Mimi Colyer.

With Kentucky hoping to add to their 2020 Division I title — the only NCAA volleyball championship in SEC history — the conference already owns the 2025 trophy, as Thursday set up the sport's first-ever all-SEC national final.

Though the 2025 SEC champion Wildcats seemingly have the edge over the conference's runners-up — Kentucky took down Texas A&M 3-1 in October — A&M's current momentum is undeniable, with the Aggies riding into Sunday's clash having ousted two No. 1 seeds and one No. 2 seed en route to a program-first national final.

"We are considered the underdog in a lot of these moments just [because] we haven't been here before. But we know we have all the right pieces," said Lednicky. "So why not us?"

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How to watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball championship

No. 3 Texas A&M will battle No. 1 Kentucky for the 2025 NCAA volleyball championship at 3:30 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ABC.

Retired WNBA icon Sylvia Fowles is returning to the court, with ESPN reporting on Wednesday that the former Minnesota Lynx star center will join the staff of the Portland Fire, becoming an assistant coach for the 2026 expansion team.

After reportedly fielding multiple offers of WNBA coaching opportunities, the 40-year-old will back up recently announced Portland Fire head coach Alex Sarama during the team's debut season, with the opportunity to help mold a fresh league roster and create culture from day one serving as a deciding factor in Fowles choosing the expansion franchise.

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The 2025 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee's resume underlines her ability to make an impact from the sideline, as the beloved WNBA alum packs both championship experience and a defensive mindset to aid a team still forming its identity.

In a 14-year playing career split between the Chicago Sky and Minnesota, the 2017 WNBA MVP won two league titles, earning Finals MVP honors alongside each of those Lynx championships.

A four-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Fowles exited her pro career as the league's all-time rebounds leader with 4,007 boards — a stat that held until current Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles passed the Hall of Famer in September 2024.

The eight-time All-Star also shined on the international stage, as Fowles snagged four Olympic gold medals during her time with Team USA.

With the 18-team UWCL league phase now done and dusted, the 12 clubs still standing discovered their paths to the Final in the 2025/26 Champions League knockouts draw on Thursday.

While the top four clubs — No. 1 Barcelona, No. 2 OL Lyonnes, No. 3 Chelsea FC, and No. 4 Bayern Munich — punched their way into March's quarterfinals behind elite league-phase performances, the remaining eight teams must battle in February's playoffs in order to advance.

Thursday's draw has reigning champs No. 5 Arsenal facing Belgian side No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven in the playoffs, but the Gunners then face a difficult road in the UWCL knockouts, staring down a potential quarterfinal clash with WSL rivals Chelsea as eight-time UWCL winners OL Lyonnes looms on the same side of the semifinal bracket.

Elsewhere, No. 7 Real Madrid have an opportunity to make UWCL history should they win their playoff tie against No. 10 Paris FC, setting up the tournament's first-ever El Clásico with a possible quarterfinal match against perennial winners Barcelona.

How to watch the 2025/26 Champions League Playoffs

The first-leg of the 2025/26 UWCL playoffs kick off with No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven hosting No. 5 Arsenal at 12:45 PM ET on February 11th, with No. 7 Real Madrid visiting No. 10 Paris FC at 3 PM ET.

The following day, No. 8 Juventus will take on hosts No. 9 Wolfsburg at 12:45 PM ET before No. 11
Atlético de Madrid faces the visiting No. 6 Manchester United at 3 PM ET.

All 2025/26 Champions League matches will stream live on Paramount+.

The NWSL Players Association is not on board with the league's latest proposal, rejecting the NWSL's new "High Impact Player" rule allowing teams to exceed the salary cap by up to $1 million to retain star athletes.

According to the current CBA, the union — rather than the league — has the final sign-off on all changes regarding compensation.

"The league is trying to control and interfere by trying to dictate which players [benefit from] this pot of funds," NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke told ESPN. "How you measure a player's value, both in terms of sporting merit and business criteria, is nuanced. It is more complicated than a handful of bullet points."

The NWSLPA has instead suggested that the league simply raise the 2026 salary cap by $1 million, giving clubs the same spending discretion without the star player mechanism.

Citing concerns about the rule's potential long-term implications on the market, roster structures, and locker-room culture, Burke noted that "We just don't feel that it delivers anything of value that simply increasing the team salary cap wouldn't, without having negative consequences."

"Our position is that teams — GMs, soccer ops, business folks at the team level — are uniquely positioned to make judgment calls about how to structure their rosters, how to negotiate deals," Burke continued. "It is within the purview of the teams to make those judgement calls, and in a system of free agency like we all agreed to, that's how it works. It's a free market."

"We are actively reviewing feedback from the NWSLPA as part of the consultation process outlined in the CBA," an NWSL spokesperson said in response.

"The league remains committed to being the home of the world's best talent, and this path gives our clubs the opportunity to pursue that goal while raising overall player investment."