Aaliyah Chavez and Kaleena Smith get featured on MaxPreps Girls Basketball National Player of the Year watchlist 

Aaliyah Chavez and Kaleena Smith are exceptional five-star prospects. Time and time again, the two have delivered spectacular performances for their teams.

On Jan. 16, MaxPreps, a reputed source for high school sports, shared their Girls Basketball National Player of the Year watchlist through their Instagram page.

Both Chavez and Smith have deservedly made it to the list. Other possible contenders for the prestigious title are Grandview’s senior Sienna Betts, Clackamas’ senior Jazzy Davidson, Mater Dei’s senior Addison Deal, Montverde Academy’s junior Saniyah Hall, Long Island Lutheran’s junior Olivia Jones, Sierra Canyon’s junior Jerzy Robinson, Ridgeline’s senior Emilee Skinner and Bullis’ sophomore Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka.

Aaliyah Chavez’s statistics draw a gap between her and other contenders as she averages 36 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists as Monterey’s point guard this season. Meanwhile, Kaleena Smith is one of the two sophomores on the list. She averages 25.7 points, 4.8 steals and 7.9 assists as Ontario Christian’s point guard.

At the end of the 2024-25 high school girls basketball season, the MaxPreps National Player of the Year will be named. The honor started way back in 2006.

This year is special for it will mark the 20th year since the beginning of the award. The 2024 National Player of the Year was Montverde Academy’s Jaloni Cambridge. Before that, Sierra Canyon’s Juju Watkins won the award two consecutive years, in 2022 and 2023.

Aaliyah Chavez marks her fourth 1,000-point season

On Jan. 12, 2025, Aaliyah Chavez reached another milestone. She completed her fourth consecutive 1,000-point season during a game against Coronado. Before the game, she held 994 points in the current season.

The 5-foot-9 player surpassed the mark in the first quarter and went on to score a total of 50 points in the match. Monterey dominated the game with a 103-42 victory.

This performance also marked her 12th game this season with at least 40 points and her second with 50 or more. Chavez contributed across the board and justified her status as the top player in the Class of 2025.

With 4,389 career points, Aaliyah Chavez is Monterey’s all-time leading scorer. Whether or not she will reach the elite 5,000 high school career points remains a question.

Regardless, her exceptional talent has earned her several offers from elite women’s basketball programs, including offers from Oklahoma, UCLA, Texas Tech, LSU and Texas.