Alaina Coates discovered her interest in the game of basketball at a young age after watching her brother's rec league journey. Despite being involved in an array of sports including soccer, track, gymnastics, and cheerleading growing up in Irmo, South Carolina, there was something unique about basketball that quickly piqued her interest in the sport. Its intricacies. Its competitive nature. Its ability to bring people together. The game was a world she became more and more passionate about the more she played. This was just the beginning. Throughout her time in high school, at Dutch Fork High School, Alaina continued to strengthen her skills on the court and write her story in the industry. From receiving a McDonald's All-American honor to being named the 2013 Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year to leading her team to back-to-back state championships, Alaina earned a series of accolades throughout her stellar high school career that highlighted her commitment and dedication to the game. Upon graduating from Dutch Fork, Alaina embarked on the next chapter in her basketball career at the University of South Carolina. It was here where she discovered her true love for basketball and desire to one day play professionally. During her freshman season, as she recalls, Alaina grew an indescribable appreciation for the after "having to work harder, do more, and do a whole mentality shift," and gained a new understanding of the game from Coach Staley. The rest was history. Throughout her time in college, Alaina continued to leave her mark on the game—securing several honors including the SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Co-6th Player of the Year awards, and becoming a NCAA Champion. Despite facing an ankle injury during her senior season, she remained focused on her biggest goal—securing the chance to play at the next level. Sure enough, in 2017, she did just that. With the second overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, the Chicago Sky selected Alaina. She had done it. She had achieved her dreams of playing in the WNBA. Even with this incredible feat, Alaina knew this new chapter in her basketball career carried with it another phase of personal growth and elevation. Over the next few seasons, Alaina played for several teams in the W including the Chicago Sky, Minnesota Lynx, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, Indiana Fever, and Phoenix Mercury; as well as overseas in China and Turkey. Committed to expanding her game on the floor and securing a roster spot in the league, Alaina continued to put in the work.
In 2023, all of that hard work paid off. Alaina signed three seven-day contracts with the Las Vegas Aces before joining the team for the remainder of the season. She hasn't looked back since. Beyond the game, Alaina has also embarked on a series of ventures off the court to help inspire the next generation, give back to communities, and provide resources for young athletes. With her nonprofit organization—the FAAM Foundation—, Alaina organizes events and community initiatives focused on the pillars of family, academic, athletics, and mentoring. As she reflects on this past season—where she made a successful return to the league and became a WNBA Champion—, there are constant themes that remain at the forefront of her mind about the power of hard work and ongoing elevation. Most importantly, there is a valuable lesson she has learned throughout this journey that proves to be true time and time again: what's for you will never miss you because everything comes in due time as long as you STAY THE COURSE!
Take us all the way back to your time in high school! You had an incredible career there winning back-to-back state championships, becoming a McDonald's All-American, earning the Gatorade South Carolina Player of the Year award—just to name a few of those accolades. What did earning those honors mean to you?
It meant a lot. As a high schooler, I worked hard to earn those things. I've always been a humble kid, so I never really thought too much about those things like the McDonald's All-American, the Gatorade Player of the Year. I didn't really think too deeply into that, but I can say that I'm extremely proud of myself because back then I was just a kid. I'm out there for fun. I'm literally playing with the girls that I've been playing AUU with for years. This was really nothing but a social experiment for me, but just being able to have fun to the fullest and be able to accomplish the things that I did…it is a very joyous feeling when I look back at it. I was just being a kid and the fact that I was able to do so much without even hitting the process of what it takes for college workouts, professional workouts, I feel like it was a very tremendous feat for me. The simple fact that I was able to get out of my shell and not let Lay the person get in the way of Lay the basketball player—because Lay the basketball player is an aggressive monster—, meant a lot. I was extremely happy that I was able to accomplish what I was able to accomplish.
Now, take us through that transition from high school to college. What were some challenges that you faced early on and how did you work to navigate through those?
One of the biggest challenges for sure was just getting used to the pace. I know people will say it all the time—that the pace from high school to college is different—, but you really won't understand it until you're actually in it for real. They even tried to prepare me. They gave me worksheets and stuff of workouts that they did that I could do before I got there, and I would do them; but there is still a level of pace that you need to have when you're going towards that next level. That was definitely something that I struggled with because for the longest time I was like, “Ok, what I'm doing now will probably just translate over into college.” It did, and then some, but there was a lot of work that had to be put in behind the scenes. I definitely struggled with keeping up with the pace. I had amazing upperclassmen that year (though). I had Elem Ibiam, Aleighsa Welch, I had some great people in front of me. Then of course, you know, I still had Tiffany (Davis) and Khadijah (Sessions)—they were my sophomores and they were still just getting into their thing. Just being able to talk to them and have some people who I could vent my frustrations to, and they understood where I was coming from, was (great). You know, somewhere in life we've all been in a situation or a place like that, so it was very nice to be able to have them be there and help guide me through it. I'm going to tell you right now, those conditioning days…I needed it (*laughs*). It was rough. That probably had to have been the biggest transition for me and the roughest for me to get through. Once I got past that threshold, I was able to get into my own and I got my wind. It was definitely a beautiful time. Being able to just keep up, be on the court, and just do what I do while doing it with this amazing group of women, it felt like I had overcome a tremendous battle. I was a little chunkier when I was younger, and that's pretty much where the majority of my strength came from. I knew that if I wanted to continue to be a beast on a different level, it would take more than just having weight on you. Once I was able to get over that and finally get over that threshold of mental toughness—not wanting to stop and things like that—that definitely was great for me.
I wanted to dive more into your time at South Carolina. You mentioned that transitional period early on in your career. From there though, you continued to evolve season after season—earning the SEC Freshman of the Year Award, winning an NCAA championship, receiving the SEC Co-6th Player of the Year recognition as well. Could you take us through your journey in college? How did your game elevate throughout your time at South Carolina?