No. 1 recruit Aaliyah Chavez wins Texas Girls Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year for second consecutive season

Days after being named 2025 Naismith Girls Basketball Player of the Year, Lubbock Monterey star Aaliyah Chavez, the top 2025 recruit, earns back-to-back Texas Gatorade Player of the Year honors after historic scoring career and state championship win

Monterey's Aaliyah Chavez waves on the crowd after being substituted out before the final minutes of the Class 5A Division II state championship girls basketball game on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. On March 13, Chavez named Texas Girls Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year for the second year in a row. / Angela Piazza/USA Today Network via Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Aaliyah Chavez, the nation’s No. 1-ranked women’s basketball recruit for the Class of 2025, capped her varsity career with a state championship and a legacy that will be remembered for generations in Lubbock, Texas.

Chavez, a 5-foot-11 senior at Lubbock Monterey, led the Lady Plainsmen to a dominant 64-35 victory over Liberty Hill in the 5A Division II state finals, securing Monterey’s first state championship in 44 years. She played a pivotal role in the win, scoring 19 points and earning the state finals MVP award.

Read more stories about Aaliyah Chavez's historic career here.

And now, as she does after every season, Chavez is adding to her collection of accolades. Recently named the 2025 Naismith Girls High School Basketball Player of the Year, she was also announced Thursday as the 2024-25 Texas Gatorade Girls High School Basketball Player of the Year — the second consecutive year she has won the award.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Chavez said, "Success is built on consistency. Not excuses."

SUCCESS IS BUILT ON CONSISTENCY
NOT EXCUSES. pic.twitter.com/DacI50X3gi

— AALIYAH CHAVEZ (@AALIYAH2CHAVEZ) March 13, 2025

Set to announce her college commitment on March 25, Chavez is expected to choose between Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma, She'll then play in what will technically be her final high school game on April 1, when she suits up for Team West in the 2025 McDonald's High School All-American Game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Her dominance on the court has been well-documented, though she's about to get a lot more pub in the coming years. Chavez finished her career at Monterey with 4,796 points, ranking 14th on the all-time national scoring list. She surpassed Delta Academy’s Lindsay Roy (2008-12, Marks, Mississippi), according to MaxPreps girls basketball records.

Lubbock Monterey guard Aaliyah Chavez (2) is expected to sign a lucrative NIL deal after announcing her commitment on March 25. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After ranking 16th in single-season scoring as a junior with 1,324 points, Chavez surpassed that mark this season with 1,451 points, placing her 10th all-time. She bumped Southeast Lauderdale’s Monique Horner (2000-01, Meridian, Mississippi) to 11th on the list.

Chavez is the only player to crack the top 20 in all-time single-season scoring since Bishop’s Destiny Littleton (La Jolla, Calif.) posted 1,366 points in the 2016-17 season. She also joins an elite group of just five players who have appeared multiple times in the top 20, alongside Geri Grigsby (McDowell, Kentucky, 1976-77), Adriana McGowen (Goodrich, Texas, 2004-05), Victoria Vivians (Scott Central, Forest, Mississippi, 2013-14), and Mary Katheryn Govero (Mt. Salus Christian, Clinton, Mississippi, 2005-06).

Aaliyah Chavez amassed 4,796 points, 1,279 rebounds, 771 assists, 476 steals and 134 blocks across 150 career varsity games at Monterey. / Angela Piazza/USA Today Network via Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Over 150 career games, Chavez amassed 4,796 points, 1,279 rebounds, 771 assists, 476 steals, and 134 blocks. She averaged an astonishing 31.97 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 3.1 steals per game, cementing her place among the greatest high school players of all time.

Monterey's Aaliyah Chavez holds the Class 5A Division II state championship girls basketball trophy on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Monterey defeated Liberty Hill 64-35. / Angela Piazza/USA Today Network via Caller-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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