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Class of 2026 small forward and son of the 2009 NBA Champ Trevor Ariza, Tajh Ariza, has impressed with his performances for Westchester Senior High School. He also led his team to the 2025 CIF LA City Section Boys' Basketball Championship after defeating Alijah Arenas' Chatsworth with a 65-55 scoreline.
The secret to Ariza's on-court performances was revealed by the renowned NBA shooting coach Chris "Lethal Shooter" Matthews, who posted pictures of training with the 6-foot-9 forward and a video of his shooting the ball on Instagram:
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Matthews commended Ariza's hunger to get better in his caption:
"6’9 Tajh Ariza is currently a 5⭐️ high school player, ranked #8 in the 2026 class. His hunger to get better everyday is why he will continue to grow in basketball. His coaches and trainers have been doing an ELITE job with him. Big S/O to Westchester H.S winning the city title! Continued success. He understands it!✔️."
Ariza and Matthews were accompanied by Nike Academy Director, Sam Jones.
This season, Ariza led his school, Westchester, to a 24-10 overall and an unbeaten 12-0 record in the California Los Angeles City Section Western Basketball League.
However, in the 2025 CIF State Boys Basketball Championships, Ariza's school was knocked out in the Regional Semifinals after a 75-61 loss against Chatsworth on Mar. 8, as Gilbert Arenas' son, Alijah Arenas completed his revenge game.
Which program has the highest chance of landing Tajh Ariza?
Tajh Ariza still has another year to decide on his collegiate career. He has received offers from top programs including USC, California State University - Northridge, Oregon, Kansas, UCLA, and more.
However, he has only taken one unofficial visit to USC on Sep. 28, according to On3 and that is the program that leads the race to sign the forward with a 56.4% chance.
UCLA has a 4.5% prediction, California State has a 3.8% chance and Oregon and Kansas, both have been given a 3.2% prediction of landing Ariza.
Which program will Tajh Ariza choose?
