The future of Texas Longhorns women's basketball may be bright, but it will not include the nation's top recruit for this year.
No. 1 Class of 2025 prospect Aaliyah Chavez officially announced her commitment to the University of Oklahoma on Tuesday, ending several months of speculation over where she would land. The Lubbock native announced her decision live on ESPN's "SportsCenter" and chose the Sooners over Texas, South Carolina, and hometown Texas Tech.
The star guard just wrapped up a legendary high school career at Monterrey High School in Lubbock where she established herself as one of the most prolific scorers in state history. She racked up over 4,000 career points throughout her prep career and led the Lady Plainsmen to the Texas 5A-II state championship earlier this month, averaging 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals per contest.
Her dominance as a senior earned her national notoriety, as she was named both the Gatorade National Player of the Year and the Naismith High School Player of the Year this season. She became the first player from Texas to win the Naismith award since two-time WNBA All-Star and current ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike did so in 2010.
Texas was long considered one of the frontrunners to land Chavez, as she made her official visit to Austin last September. Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer made sure to attend one of her high school playoff games last month and she was in attendance at the Moody Center for UT's regular-season finale against Florida.
However, arch rival Oklahoma made a strong push late as she visited Norman for the Sooners' first-round NCAA Tournament victory over FGCU last Friday. She ultimately decided to cross the Red River and head to OU, dashing UT's hopes at landing the top recruit.
Texas is still set up well for the future, with SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker set to return for her junior season next year. Only now instead of having the top 2025 prospect on its roster, it will have to go head-to-head with her at least twice a year.
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