South-Carolina
South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston to battle in WNBA Fever vs. Aces game Saturday
![South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston to battle in WNBA Fever vs. Aces game Saturday](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/06/27/PIND/a0712c9f-ac5d-4722-9931-b189b0af3fb2-USATSI_20827119.jpg?auto=webp&crop=3666,2062,x0,y188&format=pjpg&width=1200)
A’ja Wilson, Dawn Staley and Becky Hammon address media
A’ja Wilson, Dawn Staley and Becky Hammon speak to media on Friday before Las Vegas Aces play a preseason game in Columbia on Saturday
For the first time this WNBA season, two of coach Dawn Staley’s most decorated players will face each other on the court.
The two No. 1 overall draft picks to come out of South Carolina women’s basketball, Aliyah Boston and A’ja Wilson will battle Saturday night (9 p.m. ET, FUBO) when the Indiana Fever travel to play the Las Vegas Aces.
Wilson, selected by the Aces in 2018, is one of the most impactful players in South Carolina history. In her senior season, she was selected the consensus National Player of the Year, All-America First Team, SEC Player of the Year and SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year. Wilson holds the program’s career records in points (2,389), blocked shots (363), free throws made (597) and free throws attempted (835).
The 6-foot-4 center led the Gamecocks to their first-ever national championship in 2017 and now has a statue outside of Colonial Life Arena.
Wilson and the 2023 WNBA champion Aces came to Columbia on May 11 for a preseason game against Team Puerto Rico, the same day Wilson revealed her new Nike signature shoe deal.
When the 6-5 Boston arrived at South Carolina in 2019, she didn’t steer far from the big shoes that Wilson left to fill. By the time she left in 2023, Boston won Naismith Defensive Player of the Year twice (2022, 2023) and swept the National Player of the Year awards. She led the Gamecocks to three consecutive Final Four appearances and won the national title in 2022. In 2022-23, Boston broke the South Carolina records for career double-doubles and rebounds.
Boston was named SEC Player of the Year twice and earned four Lisa Leslie Center of the Year awards, becoming the first player to win it every year of their career.
INSPIRATIONAL A’JA: How Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson’s openness inspires others outside of basketball
A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston in the WNBA
Both Wilson and Boston were voted WNBA Rookie of the Year. Wilson, in her seventh year with the Aces, is a two-time WNBA MVP and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Boston is working through her sophomore season with 2024 first overall pick Caitlin Clark.
Last season, the Fever and Aces played three times, with all three wins going to the Aces who went on to win their second straight WNBA championship.
Staley said she loved watching her two former players battle in the WNBA.
Aliyah Boston stats vs. Aces in 2023
- June 4: Seven points, four rebounds, one assist, one block
- June 24: 18 points, nine rebounds, three steals, one block
- June 26: 20 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks
A’ja Wilson stats vs. Fever in 2023
- June 4: 27 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, four blocks
- June 24: 10 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks
- June 26: 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals, three blocks
The WNBA season began May 14, and Boston is averaging 8.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists. The Fever are 0-5, sixth in the Eastern Conference. Wilson is averaging 24.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. The Aces are 2-1, fifth in the Western Conference.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
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South-Carolina
More All-American honors come in for South Carolina baseball star
![More All-American honors come in for South Carolina baseball star](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2590,h_1456,x_0,y_127/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/244/01j0yyj5hx3r01r1ptxb.jpg)
The college baseball season will end in the next couple of days as two SEC programs play for the National Championship. The Tennessee Volunteers and Texas A&M Aggies are the last two teams standing. In contrast, the South Carolina baseball team ended their season nearly three weeks ago in a loss in the Regional round of the NCAA Tournament and fired head coach Mark Kingston.
Leading up to the final days of the 2024 campaign, the best player for the Gamecocks was catcher Cole Messina.
The 2023 All-American backstop was having a good year for the garnet and black, but a blazing hot finish made it a great season as he finished with a ridiculous slash line of .326/.465/.701/1.166 and 21 home runs, 19 doubles, 64 runs scored, and 71 RBI. As one of the top defensive catchers in the sport, posting an offensive season like that earned him a number of postseason accolades.
On Friday, Messina was selected to his fourth All-American team. Baseball America, like Perfect Game, the National College Baseball Writers Association, and the American Baseball Coaches Association before them, picked Cole Messina as a 2nd team All-American. The NCBWA, ABCA, and Baseball America slotted Messina in as the 2nd team catcher, while Perfect Game picked him at designated hitter.
Next month, Cole Messina will have a big decision to make as he is expected to be a high pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Messina has been mocked as high as the 1st round and has received the most projections in the 2nd round.
If he is not picked early enough to warrant leaving school, Messina has one more year of eligibility he can spend wearing garnet and black. His younger brother Carson, a right-handed pitcher, also will have a draft vs. school decision to make as he could jump straight from Summerville High School to the professional ranks if picked high enough.
South Carolina Baseball: Pair of Gamecocks represent USC well at MLB Draft Combine. dark. Next. South Carolina Baseball: Pair of Gamecocks represent USC well at MLB Draft Combine
South-Carolina
How much money do you need to make to be in the top 5% in South Carolina?
![How much money do you need to make to be in the top 5% in South Carolina?](https://www.counton2.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2024/06/AP21054444582189-e1706183462297.jpg?w=1280)
(NEXSTAR) – The disparity between the income that an average U.S. resident brings in yearly compared to those sitting at the top of earners in each state has always been a major topic of discussion.
In fact, WalletHub states that “the highest-earning 10% of individuals in the United States earn over 12 times more than those in the lowest-earning 10%, based on the latest Census data.”
And while looking up what the “average salary” is across the country, ($74,600, according to the latest data from the Federal Reserve), appears to give a solid idea of how far off most Americans are from the 5% club, a closer look at the high-end salaries reveals that the disparity is even more stark.
WalletHub broke down the income of all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C into three different groups: the average annual income of the top 5%, the average for the bottom 20%, and the median for all of each state’s residents.
Landing at No. 1 was New York where the top 5% makes about $553,000 a year. That’s almost $35,000 more than the next two highest states and nearly $100,000 more than the 10th-ranked state.
While the top 5% is thriving in the Empire State, its bottom 20% is falling well short, ranking 44th in salary with $13,301.
Right behind New York is Connecticut and Virginia where the average is about $518,000 apiece. Followed by New Jersey and Illinois which are both hovering around $505,000.
The state with the lowest top 5% threshold is Alaska, where earning roughly $321,000 will get you into the club. Hawaii and Vermont aren’t far behind where the top 5% makes about $334,000.
Check out what you need to make in your state:
Rank | State | Average Annual Income of Top 5% | Median Annual Income | Average Annual Income of Bottom 20% |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York | $553,436 | $91,366 | $13,301 |
2 | Connecticut | $518,757 | $114,156 | $14,576 |
3 | Virginia | $518,296 | $89,393 | $18,694 |
4 | New Jersey | $505,621 | $117,847 | $16,445 |
5 | Illinois | $504,800 | $78,304 | $16,192 |
6 | Georgia | $487,870 | $66,612 | $16,472 |
7 | Texas | $481,483 | $70,513 | $16,802 |
8 | Washington | $474,067 | $103,748 | $18,223 |
9 | Florida | $470,308 | $68,818 | $15,375 |
10 | Massachusetts | $466,208 | $127,760 | $13,689 |
11 | Minnesota | $464,981 | $86,364 | $19,797 |
12 | Colorado | $456,603 | $97,301 | $18,451 |
13 | California | $454,829 | $123,988 | $13,949 |
14 | Tennessee | $453,539 | $59,077 | $15,679 |
15 | District of Columbia | $450,892 | $162,265 | $9,011 |
16 | North Carolina | $450,592 | $63,025 | $15,836 |
17 | Utah | $448,195 | $89,786 | $22,491 |
18 | Michigan | $446,114 | $62,446 | $17,019 |
19 | Missouri | $446,069 | $59,715 | $16,821 |
20 | Pennsylvania | $445,261 | $74,711 | $15,801 |
21 | Ohio | $436,922 | $61,904 | $16,188 |
22 | Maryland | $427,135 | $124,693 | $16,647 |
23 | Arizona | $424,913 | $74,375 | $16,604 |
24 | Kansas | $423,517 | $68,489 | $17,176 |
25 | Nebraska | $416,325 | $72,384 | $17,380 |
26 | Arkansas | $416,224 | $51,032 | $14,069 |
27 | South Carolina | $412,771 | $62,909 | $13,996 |
28 | Kentucky | $411,897 | $55,629 | $13,800 |
29 | Oklahoma | $405,113 | $57,215 | $15,205 |
30 | Idaho | $403,737 | $70,041 | $18,372 |
31 | Delaware | $402,989 | $87,173 | $16,930 |
32 | Wisconsin | $402,256 | $72,602 | $17,973 |
33 | Nevada | $401,062 | $80,366 | $14,472 |
34 | New Hampshire | $400,343 | $110,205 | $18,075 |
35 | Indiana | $399,270 | $64,170 | $16,670 |
36 | Alabama | $398,584 | $55,480 | $13,242 |
37 | Montana | $395,720 | $68,937 | $15,337 |
38 | Louisiana | $395,155 | $56,282 | $11,504 |
39 | Iowa | $395,093 | $68,974 | $17,621 |
40 | South Dakota | $393,809 | $69,266 | $17,252 |
41 | North Dakota | $387,548 | $79,874 | $15,661 |
42 | Wyoming | $387,280 | $76,307 | $16,199 |
43 | Oregon | $377,399 | $91,100 | $14,720 |
44 | Mississippi | $377,040 | $46,880 | $12,168 |
45 | Rhode Island | $353,721 | $104,252 | $12,668 |
46 | New Mexico | $351,972 | $58,911 | $11,944 |
47 | West Virginia | $345,239 | $52,719 | $12,477 |
48 | Maine | $338,866 | $79,800 | $13,749 |
49 | Vermont | $334,470 | $89,695 | $14,477 |
50 | Hawaii | $334,369 | $141,832 | $14,014 |
51 | Alaska | $321,634 | $113,934 | $15,646 |
As for what state’s residents make the most money on average, Washington D.C. finished with the highest median income of $162,265. Unfortunately, D.C. also finished with the lowest salary for the average annual income of the bottom 20%, with $9,011.
Other states that had a high median income were Hawaii ($141,832), Massachusetts ($127,760), Maryland ($124,693), and California ($123,988).
These states with a smaller gap between the average earner and the top 5% make it easier to make the jump, but it’s still difficult.
According to GoBankingRates, it will take a variety of factors to make that jump. First, you need a steady increase in income. This could mean you are making better financial decisions, investing wisely, or perhaps experiencing career advancements.
Another factor is maybe having a solid investment strategy, look to see that you are getting positive returns on your investment and that you have a well-diversified portfolio.
Finally, prioritize your long-term financial stability. Look to prioritize saving over short-term pleasures.
And if you’re looking to go even higher than the top 5%, Forbes found that to be one of the top 1% of earners in the U.S., you need to bring in an annual salary of at least $597,815, so start saving up!
South-Carolina
Miss South Carolina, Miss Pennsylvania take Day 3 Preliminaries at Miss Volunteer America Pageant, Friday – WNWS Radio – Jackson, Tennessee, USA
![Miss South Carolina, Miss Pennsylvania take Day 3 Preliminaries at Miss Volunteer America Pageant, Friday – WNWS Radio – Jackson, Tennessee, USA](https://wnws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/4439A1D7-0E2B-4530-94B2-737F47866B40.jpg)
Jackson, TENNESSEE – Berkley Bryant was back for seconds, Friday.
Bryant, Miss South Carolina Volunteer, was named the winner of the Fitness and Wellness competition during Day 3 of preliminaries of the Miss Volunteer America Pageant at the Carl Perkins Civic Center, Friday.
One day earlier, Bryant won the Talent competition.
Miss Pennsylvania Volunteer, Alyssa Gallagher, won Friday’s Talent competition.
A new Miss Volunteer America Pageant will be crowned when festivities continue at 7 p.m., Saturday, at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee.
The event is live streamed for free at www.MissVolunteerAmerica.net.
(PHOTO: Berkley Bryant, Miss South Carolina Volunteer and Miss Pennsylvania Volunteer, Alyssa Gallagher – courtesy Mykenzy Norman – Social Media Manager – B3 Creative Agency)
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