Kim Mulkey and LSU justified their heavy recruitment of Aaliyah Chavez after the Montery High School hooper dominated the Caprock Texas Classic, scoring 124 points across three games. Mulkey has long identified the point guard as the country’s most sought-after high school player, and her ESPN recruiting profile backs the claim.
Chavez opened the tournament with a high-octane 53-point performance against Pampa, backed by a 27-point second quarter that left the crowd and her opponents speechless. She followed it up with 44 points, including seven three-pointers, in a dominant win over El Paso Eastwood.
Even in the final game, despite a losing 70-60 effort against Frenship, Chavez managed a game-high 27 points, still showing her ability to impact the game even when her shot wasn’t falling early. She won tournament MVP, and as a freshman, she burst onto the scene with a 50-point game. Her career high of 57 points continues to be her best scoring performance.
Averaging 37.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 3.5 steals per game at Monterey High, Chavez has become a generational talent whose game draws comparisons to WNBA star Kelsey Mitchell. While nearly every major program has shown interest in Chavez, LSU is leaving no stone unturned in its pursuit of the 5-foot-9 guard.
LSU is among Chavez’s top six schools, as confirmed by a list she revealed in July after narrowing it down to the top ten on social media in October 2023. Outside the Tigers, other powerhouse programs like South Carolina, UCLA, Oklahoma, and ESPN’s HoopGurlz Top 100 remain in the running.
Chavez thanked all the coaches who recruited her but clarified that her final decision would be a family effort. Mulkey’s Tigers have been especially vocal, hosting the Class of 25 standout on an unofficial visit and even pulling up to her games in the Nike Nationals.
“They’ve recruited me very well,” Chavez said about LSU, according to On3. “I think I talk to at least an assistant coach every day. They definitely talk to my parents a lot. Theyre also a winning program, and I would love to win [The visit] was fun. It was definitely different than the other visits. They had all the girls there when I was there, so they were in my photoshoots. It was definitely a different vibe. I like their energy as well at the photoshoot, it was so high. There was no low energy at all.”
Chavez visited Texas in September, and the Longhorns are seen as one of LSU’s main competitors. With her decision still pending, Chavez and Agot Makeer, another top-five recruit, remain the only uncommitted players in already signed four five-star players from the incoming class.
Even if LSU doesn’t land Chavez, the program has already signed four five-star players from the incoming class, including the second-best wing player in Grace Knox, and guards Divine Bourrage, ZaKiyah Johnson, and Isabella Hines, who also played in the games with Mulkey in attendance.
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