"Let her go to college first, sheesh": Hoops fans react as Aaliyah Chavez gets compared to Blake Griffin and Trae Young after her commitment

Aaliyah Chavez has been compared to former Oklahoma greats in a way too early WNBA Draft projection.

In an Instagram post by SportsCenter NEXT, the new Oklahoma commit was compared to Blake Griffin, Wayman Tisdale, Trae Young, Courtney Paris and so on. What all of these have in common is that they played for Oklahoma and were drafted high.

The comparison received different reactions from different sections of fans online. An Instagram user, Katie.fillie, thinks the comparison can wait till she has shown her skills in college.

“I mean let her go to college first sheesh.”

Many other fans had similar comments. Sean_barber9799 wrote:

“She’s still in HS. Little early ou.”

Bexhsia, on the other hand, wrote:

“Way too soon to tell.”

Meanwhile, an Instagram user, Paintedbykrissi, took the opportunity to attempt to connect with Chavez ahead of her arrival in Oklahoma, commenting:

“Congratssss if you need a curly hairstylist when you get to Oklahoma, lmk.”

Another Instagram user, Daumumusic, tried to make sense of Chavez’s decision to attend Oklahoma, concluding it had to be because of the program’s pedigree.

“How many banners does OU women’s basketball have, I don’t follow them I assume she picked a school with a championship pedigree, right?”

The too-early projection for Chavez’s WNBA draft was supported by a fan, Kylemanweiler, along with extra details to imagine.

“A team will trade 7 first round picks for her. She’s the best ever. Not one WNBA player could guard her currently.”

Reactions to Aaliyah Chavez's way-too-early NBA projection

Aaliyah Chavez’s high school career and college prospects

Aaliyah Chavez is the consensus top girls' basketball prospect. The 5-foot-9 point guard from Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas, has earned comparisons to some of the greatest names in women's basketball, like JuJu Watkins, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. And it’s hardly surprising, looking at how impressive her high school career has been.

Chavez reached 4,796 points in her high school career, a national top-25 all-time high in girls’ basketball. In addition to individual achievements like the Gatorade and Naismith Girls Basketball Player of the Year awards, she led Monterey to its first state title.

With Aaliyah Chavez on its roster, Jennie Baranczyk’s Oklahoma has an edge it has previously lacked on the hardwood. The Sooners reached their first Sweet 16 appearance in over 10 years this season, showing an improved quality under Baranczyk, who took over in 2021.