How does Aliyah Boston deal with 'couch coaches'? By logging off, ignoring them.
INDIANAPOLIS — Aliyah Boston isn't interested in what "couch coaches" have to say about her game.
Boston, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, struggled in some aspects to start her sophomore season. With the increased attention on the Indiana Fever, that's led to a lot of hate from fans and others on social media.
But Boston doesn't care what they have to say — they're not a part of her coaching staff, teammates or inner circle that she leans on for support and advice. She didn't want to see those comments, so she logged off of X (Twitter) and Instagram entirely last week.
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"I have to protect my peace," Boston said Friday night. "There's just a lot of couch coaches and there's a lot of people who have never stepped on the floor that just continue to tell you how you should be playing basketball and that you're messing up whatever bets or whatever they have going on. Personally I'd rather not know, because, obviously, I did try to get those rebounds, I just didn't. I just logged off. It's been better for me. I've been able to really talk to God a lot, I've been in my Bible a lot more, and it's been a blessing because I know He's the reason for everything.
"No matter what, like all this has happened on social media, it's because I'm going through a season, and I can't wait to come out on the other side of that."
Through seven games, Boston is averaging 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 42.9% from the field. Those numbers are down from last year's marks of 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 57.8% shooting. And the Fever are 1-6.
Boston's struggles to start the season could be attributed to multiple factors — she gained a lot of muscle in the offseason, and she may not have been used to playing with all of that extra muscle. The Fever's scheduling also didn't do her any favors. Her first four games came up against Connecticut's DeWanna Bonner (2x) and New York's reigning MVP Breanna Stewart (2x). Boston is good, but those players are two of the best in the league.
The expectations on Boston have always been high. She was the 2023 No. 1 pick, an All-Star starter and the unanimous Rookie of the Year. Many people expected her to pick up right where she left off.
But even for Boston, it's a learning curve to integrate a new point guard in rookie Caitlin Clark and get the new offensive scheme.
"She's trying to figure it out too and learn this new style that we're playing with," Fever coach Christie Sides said. "Aliyah's played against the best post players in the league the last few nights, they're Olympians. She's a second-year player. I think because she was Rookie of the Year, had a great year, we forget about that."
Boston just needed time to settle in, and she found her groove Friday night. She was the second-leading scorer in Indiana's win over Los Angeles, scoring 17 points and grabbing six rebounds in 29 minutes. She shot 8-of-14 (57%) from the field.
It was a confidence-building night for the young star, and it's something she can build on for the rest of the season.
"She just needed a good win, and then also a good showing," Sides said. "I think she's needed some confidence, you know, Aliyah beats herself up more than anybody. So, she just needed the confidence to get going. And she just stayed solid in anything that we needed her to do."
Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How WNBA star Aliyah Boston has been dealing with social media critics
