Aaliyah Chavez to UCLA? Top 5-star recruit a perfect fit for Cori Close's No. 1 program

Chavez would give UCLA top two players in 2025 recruiting class

Monterey's Aaliyah Chavez dribbles against Frenship in a Caprock Classic big-school girls championship basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at the Tiger Pit in Wolfforth. / Stephen Garcia/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close is making a case for NCAA Coach of the Year honors this season. As of Jan. 16, her Bruins are 17-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country.

And if she closes the deal and secures the commitment from No. 1 recruit Aaliyah Chavez, you can probably go ahead and give Close the 2026 award, as well.

One of the top scorers in high school girls basketball history and the nation’s top recruit for 2025, Chavez – a 5-foot-10 point guard at Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas – is the type of player who could help keep the Bruins near the top for years to come.

She’s been compared with some of the best women’s guards in high school basketball history, and for good reason. The consensus 5-star recruit has been moving up the nation’s scoring lists. She currently has 1,128 points through 31 games this season and has 4,473 points through 139 career games (32.1 average).

Chavez - who is chasing 5,000 career points – entered her Jan. 14 game against Caprock averaging 36.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.6 steals and 1 block per game through 30 games, and proceeded to score 42 in an 83-28 victory.

She scored 124 points earlier this season at the Caprock Classic – adding to her eight career 50-point games with a 53-point performance in the opener of that tournament.

Monterey's Aaliyah Chavez, bottom right, shakes hands with her father, Sonny Chavez, after the team's loss against Amarillo High in the Region I-5A quarterfinal basketball playoff game, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, at the Hutcherson Center in Plainview. / Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

She won MVP at the second Mamba League Invitational last summer and hasn’t stopped picking up hardware along the way.

While she has her pick of just about any college she wants to attend, Chavez announced six colleges – Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, UCLA, LSU and South Carolina – as finalists.

And while many feel she’ll ultimately choose Texas or hometown Texas Tech, it’s hard to overlook the perfect sense UCLA makes.

NIL

To say she’s a popular figure would be an understatement. Chavez has used her dazzling play to amass 74,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 20,000 on TikTok. But those numbers would see a massive swell if she were to land in L.A.

According to reports, she is believed to be seeking a Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) deal for around $1 million. The real question for her, however, is how much she can make in Los Angeles versus, say, Lubbock? And will that difference be enough to change her mind?

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Either way, it’s a decision she is taking seriously. She’s one of only two players in the 2025 ESPN HoopGurlz Top 100 recruits who haven’t committed – joining No. 4 player Agot Makeer, a 6-1 wing from Montverde (Fla.) Academy.

Standing out

Into just about any city she goes, Aaliyah Chavez would carry a spotlight with her. But Los Angeles is its own spotlight.

I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. Thanks @UCLAWBB @hoopers4dayz pic.twitter.com/tctvvn91sc

— AALIYAH CHAVEZ (@AALIYAH2CHAVEZ) October 31, 2024

Perhaps that removes some of the pressures she might feel back home in Lubbock, where she’d be expected to almost single-handedly turn around a struggling program? And with a strong supporting cast already in place at UCLA, Chavez wouldn’t be forced into action before she’s ready.

With that said, adding Chavez would instantly give UCLA another reason to make the detractors jealous this season. They’ve already secured a verbal commitment from No. 2 overall 2025 prospect Sienna Betts – a 6-4 forward from Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo.

Adding both Betts and Chavez would be quite a haul.

Moving out?

She’s a high school athlete with a huge head start on building a brand, but that brand – and its value – could be affected by where she chooses to go. But comfortability is also important, and Chavez has a history of bucking trends and carving her own path.

While she had opportunities to leave Monterey and chase other opportunities, she chose to remain loyal and helped the No. 1 Lady Plainsmen to a 27-4 start in 2024-2025. That has led to speculation that she’ll again ignore the bright lights and won’t chase the biggest pot of gold to remain in Texas.

Her father, Sonny Chavez, owns a basketball training facility in Lubbock called The Lab where she’s spent countless hours working with young players who aspire to one day fill her shoes. Through her work at The Lab and various camps, Aaliyah Chavez has spoken openly about her desire to help and inspire young children – especially Mexican children – to pursue basketball.

And while her influence already far exceeds any city limits or state lines, Chavez could have a major impact on young Hispanics in and around L.A. – where roughly 31.9 percent (1.2 million) of the population reports Mexican heritage – including 32 percent of the greater Los Angeles area.  

In comparison, roughly 83,000 of Lubbock’s nearly 267,000 population reports as Mexican, per census.gov.

If distance isn’t an issue, UCLA makes a ton of sense. With millions of reasons to get distracted, Chavez has continued to maintain her focus while seemingly getting better on the court – only furthering the belief she could handle the rigors of L.A.

So, will the rich get richer or will unranked Texas Tech find a way to steal one from No. 1 UCLA?

It would be the upset of the year.