Aaliyah Chavez Names Ohio State Buckeyes on College Shortlist

The high school basketball standout broke down her list Monday, which included the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Monterey's Aaliyah Chavez claps her hands after missing a 3-pointer 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

The No. 1 player in the country could be going to Columbus.

Aaliyah Chavez, the top player in the high school class of 2025, had an exclusive interview with On3 Sports Monday, revealing why she cut her list to these schools, including Ohio State.

Aaliyah Chavez is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2025.

Chavez gave On3's @TaliaGoodmanWBB the exclusive rundown on each of her 10 finalists👀

Read: https://t.co/GtiUUMoVdg pic.twitter.com/VdKhdqXjrq

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) July 15, 2024

"I got recruited by Ohio State very young in eighth grade, so I’m definitely just keeping them in the mix because I do talk to them a lot still and they have a great program," Chavez said. "They’re high energy every time I talk to them."

The Monterey High School point guard averaged a whopping 37.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.5 steals per game en route to claiming Gatorade Player of the Year.

Chavez has the opportunity to join what will likely be a very young Ohio State squad in the 2025-26 season. With the Buckeyes losing both Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor to the WNBA, as well as Diana Collins, Rikki Harris and Emma Shumate to the transfer portal, the offseason was looking bleak.

However, head coach Kevin McGuff ended up recruiting 91-plus overall recruits in Ella Hobbs, Ava Watson and Jaloni Cambridge, along with transfers Chance Gray from Oregon and Ajae Petty from Kentucky.

Mar 24, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward Cotie McMahon (32) celebrates during the second half of the women’s NCAA Tournament second round against the Duke Blue Devils at Value City Arena. Ohio State lost 75-63. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

The Buckeyes will also return junior Cotie McMahon and senior Taylor Thierry, both of whom will have eligibility in 2026.

Plenty of talent would surround Chavez — the 5-foot-11 native of Lubbock, Texas — if she chose Columbus as her next destination.

Other Big Ten teams included in Chavez's list were Southern California and UCLA.

"When I first talked to [USC's] coaching staff, I liked how their energy was," Chavez said. "It was very high. I haven’t talked to them in a while, though. They have a good program, and I like the way they play."