A finalist for the Naismith Girls Basketball National Players of the Year Award, Aaliyah Chavez is riding a wave of momentum. She’s been putting up some top-notch numbers with close to 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per game. Even espnW has her ranked as the top recruit in the Class of 2025. So, she’s definitely a name to watch in the coming years.

The Mamba Invitational League was supposed to give a platform for the next skilled basketball player to showcase their talent. And Aaliyah Chavez took that opportunity with both hands when she was crowned the girls’ MVP. But, the 5’11 guard was not satisfied with her achievement as she wanted more.

“The Mamba Invitational trophy being hoisted by the girls’ MVP @AALIYAH2CHAVEZ 🐍🏆.” This was the tweet that she would repost and voice her desire that may seem unconventional. “I need this in my room,” the Texas native wrote on X. Although it would be a unique collection, her room already has a unique piece of the collection that she posted on her IG.

She has a giant scoreboard in her room, with a special Kobe Bryant connection. The visitor side has Kobe’s highest score of 81 points and the home side has her highest points.

Moving on, her recent Nike Nationals EYBL performance was also noteworthy. Leading in the points category with 29.6, she also contributed with 4,3 rebounds and 3,7 dimes per game. Given this hooping prowess of her, the next destination becomes more important.

What’s next for Aaliyah Chavez?

No one would guess, but the current #1 prospect chose to hoop fairly late in her career. But, when she was in 3rd grade, she saw other kids having fun playing basketball in the park and set her mind to it as well. In the fourth grade, after a few practice sessions thanks to her father, she tried for a local AAU team. She was rejected and was told she wasn’t good enough.

“I think that was really [when I was] like, Oh, I’m gonna prove you wrong,” Chavez spoke to Slam Magazine earlier this year. From that day until now the Texas native hasn’t looked back. Right now, she has narrowed her list down to 6 colleges and is ready for the next step.

“The most important thing is to make sure I’m in a place where I have high energy,” Chavez told On3 a month ago.”I don’t want a coach that’s just going to be there for two years… I want them to be there all four years. Because that’s what I’m getting recruited off of, right? I want to be there all four years.”

Chavez’s list includes LSU, Texas, South Carolina, UCLA, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. She’s unofficially visited Texas Tech and LSU and is in the process of scheduling official visits to the remaining programs. As per On3, Texas Tech leads the recruitment prediction with 32.5%, and Texas comes second with 28.4%. LSU is in a close third with 24.4%, while South Carolina and USC have only a 1.8% chance of her recruitment.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.