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NBA star Trae Young says Oklahoma commit Aaliyah Chavez is next star of college basketball

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•03/26/25•

bykeeganpope

Aaliyah Chavez
Aaliyah Chavez (Annie Rice/For the Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

New Oklahoma women’s basketball commit Aaliyah Chavez made massive waves on Tuesday by committing to the Sooners over Texas, Texas Tech, South Carolina and dozens of other programs.

The recruiting victory was a signature one for head coach Jennie Barancyzk, who has led OU to its first Sweet 16 appearance in over a decade this season. Chavez, the nation’s consensus No. 1 recruit, draw praise from across the basketball universe after pledging to the Sooners, including from one of the university’s most famous recent alums.

Ex-Sooners basketball star and current Atlanta Hawks four-time All-Star Trae Young has been a fan of hers for some time. Both were actually born in Lubbock, despite Young playing his high school ball in Norman. And he can’t wait to see what she does at the college level.

“Aaliyah is the next Paige Bueckers, the next Juju Watkins, the next Caitlin Clark of college basketball,” he told reporters on Tuesday night. “It’s exciting that she’s going to be in Norman, Oklahoma now. We get to go and support her, I’m going to be supporting her any time I can. I’ve seen her at a camp and certain things in L.A. But it’s really cool that she’s going to be in Norman, and I get to go there right up the street.”

Chavez brings new level of excitement to Oklahoma basketball

The 5-foot-9 Chavez has a list of accomplishments that rivals any recently girls’ high school basketball players. Her highlight tapes on YouTube have garnered hundreds of thousands of views, and she might be the most well-known girls’ basketball player currently playing at the high school level.

On top of that, she was recently was named both the Gatorade and Naismith High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year. And Chavez capped off her record-breaking high school career earlier this month, leading Monterey High to its first-ever state title. She finished her career with 4,796 points, which ranks among the top-25 nationally in the history of high school girls basketball.

Not only does she have the all-time scoring record at the school for a single season and a career, but she’s also scored the most points in a game (57) and most assists in a single season (240), among others. 

As a senior, she averaged 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals per game, leading Monterey to a 37-5 record. She will participate next week in the McDonald’s All-American Game and later this spring will be part of Nike’s Hoop Summit, featuring the top high school girls and boys basketball players in the country.