5-star Aaliyah Chavez, nation's No. 1 girls recruit, moves up all-time list

Nation's top senior climbs multiple spots in exclusive all-time club

Monterey head coach Jill Schneider (right) talks to Aaliyah Chavez during a District 3-5A girls basketball game, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, at Monterey High School. Chavez scored 36 points to give her 4,339 for her career. / Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Aaliyah Chavez has scored so many baskets and accumulated so many points that there is no way that the uncommitted 5-star girls basketball star could remember most of them.

But the first game she played in 2025 will always be one for the memory bank.

Squaring off against Palo Duro on Jan. 3, in a district game at Lubbock’s Monterey High School, Chavez turned in another of her signature performances in Monterey’s big victory.

On the back of five 3-pointers, Chavez shook off a slow start to finish with 36 points, 13 rebounds, six steals, one block and five assists before exiting the game with 2:52 left and her Plainsmen leading, 81-35.

She had 18 points in the first half, capped by a step-back 3-pointer while falling down with 30 seconds left in the second period to give Monterey a 39-17 lead at the half.

And while those numbers go right along with her season averages of 35.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.9 steals, it was the history she made that will be most memorable.

Once her statistics are officially registered with the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) her current total of 4,339 points would have her in eighth place all-time in scoring for high school girls’ basketball in the NFHS records database.

While other record examples exist, NFHS is considered the governing body of state high school athletics associations across the country, and records submitted to NFHS are vetted by officials before being recorded. They are considered the gold standard of high school athletics records.

The performance will have moved Chavez up two places on the all-time list – from 10th prior to Jan. 3 – jumping Louisiana’s Katie Antony, who had 4,319 points from 2000-2003 for Anacoco, and Patricia Walker-Manuel who scored 4,327 from 1989-1992 for Athens.

Chavez will remain No. 2 all-time in Texas, trailing all-time scoring leader Adrian McGowen, who had 5,424 for Goodrich from 2003-2006.

Chavez began the game with 4,303 career points after scoring 37 in a 70-49 win against Lubbock Cooper in her previous outing on Dec. 31.

Basketball recruit Aaliyah Chavez walks the sideline ahead of the Texas Longhorns game against Mississippi State at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fast approaching her fourth 1,000-point season, the consensus 5-star recruit now has 994 points through 28 games.

Currently uncommitted and Pursued by just about every major college program in the country, Chavez announced in July she’d whittled her final choices down to six schools – LSU, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, South Carolina and UCLA.

It should come as no surprise those top programs clamor for her commitment. Her talent is undeniable. In three games at the Caprock Classic in Lubbock Dec. 27-29, Chavez scored 124 points in helping the Plainsmen sweep the tournament.

As a junior, she averaged 36 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

For her career, Chavez is averaging 31.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.0 steals.

The anticipation for where she’ll decide to go seemingly grows right along with her points total every week. While some players strive to reach 1,000 points in a career, Chavez has made it a routine.

Seeing action in 39 games as a freshman, Chavez scored 1,001 points. She scored 1,020 as a sophomore and broke that mark with 1,324 as a junior.

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