Monterey's Aaliyah Chavez announces she will be playing for the University of Oklahoma in front of an auditorium filled with fans at Monterey High School on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas. Jacob Lujan/For The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Amidst Tournament Success, UCLA Takes Major Hit in Recruiting Department

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Mar 25, 2025 4:54 PM ET

There's a lot to be hopeful about for UCLA women's basketball, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, right now.

The team is prepping for its upcoming matchup in the Sweet 16, it continues to play its best basketball at the most important point in the season and a national championship is within reach.

On the recruiting side, however, the Bruins took quite a hit on Tuesday, as the top player in the class of 2025, Aaliyah Chavez of Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas, announced her commitment to Oklahoma.

UCLA was a finalist for the nation's top recruit, but ultimately, she decided she wanted to be a Sooner.

The Bruins will be fine, of course. They have a bigger goal at the moment, but this was a player of Chavez' caliber is tough to lose out on.

The five-star two-time Gatorade Player of the Year has been drawing attention for some time now, even before her stellar senior season.

Below was 247Sports women's basketball director of scouting Brandon Clay's evaluation of Chavez from May of 2024:

"Rated as the No. 1 player in the class, Chavez is a profilfic yet efficient scoring option at the guard position. She can play on the basketball or off though she might be best suited to be a primary lead guard in college. Chavez gets her shot off as easily as any high school guard I can remember dating back to the days of Kelsey Mitchell as a prep prospect. A five-star guard, Chavez has legitimate shooting range to 25 feet with the ability to get into the teeth of the defense on a consistent basis to make a shot or find a corner shooter. Chavez has been busy getting buckets all over the country the past 12 months participating in the USA Basketball 3-on-3 trials in Memphis, putting up an MVP-esque performance at the Nike World Basketball Festival in front of Travis Scott in New York and being named a captain in the new Overtime Select league in Atlanta."

As of now, UCLA's only 2025 signees are Sienna Betts, younger sister of Lauren Betts, and Lena Bilić.

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This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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