Whitman's Kaylah Tchoufa Voted 2025-26 Maryland Girls Basketball Player of the Year

The senior led the Vikings to the 2026 MPSSAA 4A state championship.

Kaylah Tchofua led the way as Walt Whitman won its first Maryland Class 4A title since 2016. The 5-foot-9 posted a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds in the championship game against Richard Montgomery. | Derek Toney

Congratulations to Whitman's Kaylah Tchoufa on being voted High School on SI's Maryland Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season. The senior forward led the poll with 47.83-percent of votes.

Tchoufa led Whitman to an undefeated season and the MPSAA 4A state championship. The senior averaged 17.8 points and 10.3 rebounds, and was named MCPS West Division Player of the Year and FIrst-Team All-Met.

Tchoufa was part of a stacked senior class that led the Vikings to their first undefeated season in school history. It's a huge accomplishment for head coach Pete Kenah.

Coming in second place in the poll is South River's Kiera West with 29.59-percent of votes. West surpassed 1,000 points and led the Seahawks to the state semifinals. While South River wasn't able to repeat as state champions, the senior was still named Third-Team All-Met to close the season.

Rounding out the top three is Poly's London Elliott with 19.68-percent. Elliott led the Engineers to the MPSSAA 3A state championship and was named Baltimore City Player of the Year. The junior finished with 24 points and eight steals in the title game and is now a two-time state champion.

Coming in at fourth place is Richard Montgomery's Katie Diao with 0.69-percent. The senior and Yale commit led the Rockets all the way to the state championship game, where they fell to Whitman.

Diao had entered the state championship game averaging 20.7 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game. She was named Second-Team All-Met to cap off her high school basketball career.

Rounding out the top five is St. Mary's' Alexandra Vandiver, who tied Diao with 0.69-percent. Vandiver averaged 17.6 points, 10.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and two steals, along with 13 double-doubles and one triple-double.

The senior and East Carolina commit was named First-Team All-IAAM and became the first Maryland basketball player to reach 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 three-pointers, and 50 career double-doubles.

Right behind Vandiver is her St. Mary's teammate Bailey Harris at sixth with 0.55-percent. Harris was another standout senior for the Saints who had a stellar season.

The Rhode Island commit became St. Mary's' all-time leading scorer with over 2,000 points to conclude her senior year. As a result, Harris named First-Team All-IAAM and Second-Team All-Met.

The rest of the list goes Bishop McNamara's Qandace Samuels (0.34), C.H. Flowers' Alana Joy (0.28), Bullis' Adora Nwude (0.21), Bishop McNamara's Jaylah King (0.14), Bowie's Autumn Welch (0), and Bullis' Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka (N/A).