"Bet on yourself": Aaliyah Chavez shares a message following Trae Young claiming she can be as great as Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers

On Wednesday, New Oklahoma Sooners commit Aaliyah Chavez reacted to NBA star Trae Young’s comparison of her with Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers. Chavez reposted Young’s interview with reporters on X, adding an inspirational caption. She wrote:

“Bet on yourself when everyone else doubts you!”

Young spoke to reporters on Tuesday following Chavez’s commitment to the Sooners. He said:

“Aaliyah is the next Paige Bueckers, the next JuJu Watkins, the next Caitlin Clark of college basketball. It’s exciting that she’s going to be in Norman, Oklahoma, now. We get to go and support her. I’m going to be supporting her any time I can. I’ve seen her at a camp and certain things in L.A. But it’s really cool that she’s going to be in Norman, and I get to go there right up the street.”

Young and Chavez have more in common than their Oklahoma connection. Both are Lubbock-born, although Young moved to Norman to play basketball in high school. Now, the four-time All-Star has even more reasons to be a Chavez fan. Receiving Chavez’s pledge signified the consolidation of a new era for the Sooners women’s basketball program under head coach Jennie Baranczyk.

Baranczyk, who started coaching Oklahoma in 2021, led the program to its first Sweet 16 appearance in over 10 years this season. With a player like Aaliyah Chavez, the consensus No. 1 recruit nationally, Oklahoma fans can start dreaming of competing at a higher level.

---

Recapping Aaliyah Chavez’s high school career

Aaliyah Chavez, at 5-foot-9, has made a name for herself as probably the most famous girl’s basketball player in high school across the nation. Thanks to her highlights on platforms like YouTube, she has become a household name in the game, with solid achievements to show.

She has had a high school career that saw her score 4,796 points, ranking among the top 25 all-time scorers nationally in high school girls' basketball. A product of Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas, she led the program to its first-ever state title earlier in March.

However, the greatest highlight of her incredible high school career is getting named the Gatorade and Naismith High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

In a career marked by several record-breaking moments, she became the all-time leader in scoring at Monterey, both for a single season and a career. She also became the school’s highest scorer in a single game with 57 points.