M
Mike Uva
Guest
When A’ja Wilson’s statue was unveiled a year ago today, it was monumental in Columbia. Not only did she join South Carolina football great and Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers as the only other Gamecock student-athlete to have a statue of them erected, but she became the first female athlete to be honored in this manner - both black.
“Every time I pass by (Colonial Life Arena and see her statue), I say this to myself: ‘I’m having the time of my life watching my daughter have the time of hers,” explained her father Roscoe Wilson. “A’ja’s done more in her 25 years than I have in my entire life.”
On the day of her statue unveil, A’ja took to the podium and expressed gratitude, sharing a powerful story about her grandmother.
"My grandmother grew up in this area, actually four blocks from the Governor's mansion, to be exact,” said A’ja at her statue unveil ceremony last January, that happened to fall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “When she was a child, she couldn't even walk on the grounds of the University of South Carolina. She would have to walk around the campus just to get to where she needed to go.”
It wouldn’t be until 1963 that the beginning of desegregation at the university would take place when James Solomon, Henrie Monteith and Robert Anderson enrolled to become the first three African-Americans students at the University of South Carolina.
"If only she was here today to see that the same grounds she had to walk around, it now is the same grounds that houses a statue of her granddaughter.”
Growing up in the Midlands, Roscoe had aspirations of playing basketball at the University of South Carolina. But when he graduated in 1969, USC had never had a black basketball player before and instead, attended nearby Benedict College where he played collegiately.
Coincidently, it was that same year that Casey Manning would attend USC, where he would go on to become the first black player to take the court for the Gamecocks. Manning would not only go on to become a circuit court judge for the Fifth Judicial Circuit in South Carolina but he’s also served as a color commentator for USC men’s basketball since 1994.
When A’ja arrived on campus at South Carolina in the fall of 2014 from Heathwood Hall, her stardom quickly grew. She was an SEC Freshman of the Year, a three-time SEC Player of the Year as well as a three-time consensus first-team All American. She was instrumental to helping lead South Carolina to their first NCAA championship program history in 2017 before being named the Consensus National Player of the Year in 2018.
“When people work hard, you should be rewarded. And you should be rewarded while you can enjoy it. I think it says a lot about (University of South Carolina President) Dr. Harris Pastides and what he pushed for, (to present A’ja a statue as quickly as they did).”
Despite her post-USC accomplishments, such as being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft or before being named a WNBA MVP and a WNBA Rookie of the Year or most recently winning a Gold Medal at the Olympics, it’s her character that her Roscoe and his wife Eva Rakes Wilson are the most proud of about their daughter.
“It makes me feel good to know that A’ja doesn’t only get recognized for being an athlete but she gets recognized for being the person who she is. It’s important to me that she’s recognized that way because it means you impact more people because not everybody is an athlete or watches sports.”
“Every time I pass by (Colonial Life Arena and see her statue), I say this to myself: ‘I’m having the time of my life watching my daughter have the time of hers,” explained her father Roscoe Wilson. “A’ja’s done more in her 25 years than I have in my entire life.”
On the day of her statue unveil, A’ja took to the podium and expressed gratitude, sharing a powerful story about her grandmother.
"My grandmother grew up in this area, actually four blocks from the Governor's mansion, to be exact,” said A’ja at her statue unveil ceremony last January, that happened to fall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “When she was a child, she couldn't even walk on the grounds of the University of South Carolina. She would have to walk around the campus just to get to where she needed to go.”
It wouldn’t be until 1963 that the beginning of desegregation at the university would take place when James Solomon, Henrie Monteith and Robert Anderson enrolled to become the first three African-Americans students at the University of South Carolina.
"If only she was here today to see that the same grounds she had to walk around, it now is the same grounds that houses a statue of her granddaughter.”
Growing up in the Midlands, Roscoe had aspirations of playing basketball at the University of South Carolina. But when he graduated in 1969, USC had never had a black basketball player before and instead, attended nearby Benedict College where he played collegiately.
Coincidently, it was that same year that Casey Manning would attend USC, where he would go on to become the first black player to take the court for the Gamecocks. Manning would not only go on to become a circuit court judge for the Fifth Judicial Circuit in South Carolina but he’s also served as a color commentator for USC men’s basketball since 1994.
When A’ja arrived on campus at South Carolina in the fall of 2014 from Heathwood Hall, her stardom quickly grew. She was an SEC Freshman of the Year, a three-time SEC Player of the Year as well as a three-time consensus first-team All American. She was instrumental to helping lead South Carolina to their first NCAA championship program history in 2017 before being named the Consensus National Player of the Year in 2018.
“When people work hard, you should be rewarded. And you should be rewarded while you can enjoy it. I think it says a lot about (University of South Carolina President) Dr. Harris Pastides and what he pushed for, (to present A’ja a statue as quickly as they did).”
Despite her post-USC accomplishments, such as being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft or before being named a WNBA MVP and a WNBA Rookie of the Year or most recently winning a Gold Medal at the Olympics, it’s her character that her Roscoe and his wife Eva Rakes Wilson are the most proud of about their daughter.
“It makes me feel good to know that A’ja doesn’t only get recognized for being an athlete but she gets recognized for being the person who she is. It’s important to me that she’s recognized that way because it means you impact more people because not everybody is an athlete or watches sports.”
