NORMAN — Aaliyah Chavez, the top prospect in high school basketball and the National Gatorade Player of the Year recipient, announced her commitment to Oklahoma on Tuesday.
Chavez chose the Sooners over LSU, South Carolina, Texas, Texas Tech and UCLA.
“I’m ready to give may all to make this my home and bring a national championship to the city of Norman,” Chavez said during her announcement live on SportsCenter.
OU has been in on Chavez since the early days of her recruitment, making her top 10 list in October 2023. The initial list also included the likes of Arizona, Ohio State, Tennessee, and USC.
Three schools emerged as favorites the past few months: OU, Texas and Texas Tech. Chavez took her official visit to Norman last October.
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OU entered Tuesday with momentum after Chavez visited Norman over the weekend to watch the Sooners play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite rumors Chavez would visit Texas on Monday for its NCAA Tournament second-round game, she opted not to.
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“They have a great community here,” Chavez told The Oklahoman on Saturday. “I wanted to just make sure I got to come and watch a live game because obviously OU is one of my top choices. I needed to see the fan base myself and but it was a really great experience today.”
Chavez, a 5-foot-9 guard from Lubbock, Texas, led Monterey High School to a 37-5 record and a Texas 5A Division II state title this season while averaging 35.3 points per game. She’s also set to compete in the McDonald’s All-American Game on April 1 and the Nike Hoop Summit on April 12.
Chavez was awarded the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year award for the 2023-24 season when she broke records for points in a season, points in a career, most 3-pointers in a game and school records for most points in a game with 57 and career 3s with 639.
She finished her high school career with 4,796 points, 1,279 rebounds and 771 assists in 150 games.
Chavez’s commitment immediately makes OU a contender with Raegan Beers, Payton Verhulst and Sahara Williams returning next season. Sooners coach Jennie Baranczyk has also landed 2025 blue-chip prospects Keziah Lofton and Brooklyn Stewart.
“I’m excited to embrace the challenge ahead to learn more from this game and to contribute anyway that I can to this team’s success,” Chavez said. “I’m not just joining a program, I’m joining a family.”
OU is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013 and will face UConn at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Spokane, Washington.
More: Aaliyah Chavez praises OU basketball on top recruit’s visit during March Madness
OU women’s basketball 2025 commits
- Aaliyah Chavez, five-star point guard, Monterey High School (Texas)
- Keziah Lofton, four-star guard, Yukon High School
- Brooklyn Stewart, four-star forward, Pine Creek High School (Colorado)
