When A’ja Wilson announced she was attending the University of South Carolina in the spring of 2014, it shook the table of women’s college basketball. The hometown kid and nation’s No. 1 overall recruit had chosen David over the Goliaths selected by top recruits of the past.
What followed? A dominant and decorated career delivered. A national championship won. And an enduring legacy — and statue — cemented. On Sunday, Wilson’s No. 22 jersey will be lifted to the rafters of Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. The hometown kid will be immortalized as a hometown legend for a second time.
Sitting in the front row will be Wilson’s father, Roscoe Wilson, who has guided her rise since the first day she picked up a basketball. Ahead of her jersey retirement, he spoke to Andscape reporter Sean Hurd about his daughter’s historic South Carolina tenure, her humble beginnings in the sport and his abundant pride watching her achieve her dreams.