On Tuesday, Aaliyah Chavez, the No. 1 women’s high school basketball player in the country, announced that she will play for Jennie Baranczyk and the Oklahoma Sooners during a live commitment video on SportsCenter.
Chavez, a native of Lubbock, Texas, has been the most soughtafter player in this class over the past year and had offers to play anywhere in the country. Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA and South Carolina were among her other finalists, but in the end, it was the Sooners who won her heart.
“They have great coaches, coaches that I’ve been talking to since I was in eighth grade,” Chavez said. “Just a great playing style. They match how I want to play. I want to play fast. That’s why I chose it.”
This is a monumental pickup for Baranczyk and the Sooners, who are currently in the middle of a Sweet 16 run after pummeling Iowa less than 24 hours ago.
Listed at 5-foot-9, Chavez has long been considered the must-have player in this class, and over the past couple of years, that noise has only grown louder.
Chavez earned all kinds of national honors this past season, including both the Gatorade and Naismith High School Player of the Year honors, after leading Monterey High School to a State Championship.
During her senior year, Chavez averaged 34.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game.
Oklahoma has six seniors on their current team, but is set to return four starters next year. With the addition of an all-world talent like Chavez, the Sooners’ program should continue to ascend under Baranczyk.
