A handful of women’s college basketball stars have eclipsed the sport to become household names in homes where women’s college basketball isn’t exactly top of mind. Caitlin Clark is the latest example of a female athlete who has become transcendent.
According to Trae Young, Oklahoma has the next such player.
The arrival of Aaliyah Chavez, the No. 1 high-school basketball player in the country, to the Sooners has just about everyone excited. Young, an NBA All-Star for the Atlanta Hawks and former Oklahoma guard, gave her high praise after she signed with coach Jennie Baranczyk and the Sooners.
“Aaliyah is the next Paige Bueckers, the next, I mean, Juju Watkins, the next Caitlin Clark of college basketball,” Young said. “It’s going to be exciting she’s in Norman, Oklahoma now.”
Chavez committed to the Sooners on Tuesday. At a ceremony in her hometown of Lubbock, Texas, she chose OU over Texas, Texas Tech, South Carolina, and LSU. Last week, she was named Gatorade National Player of the Year.
Speaking of Bueckers, the Connecticut superstar, she and her No. 2-seeded Huskies will play third-seeded Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Tip is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Clark and Reese highlighted women’s college basketball two seasons ago with their personal and team rivalry from Iowa and LSU. The eyeballs held from the college game into the WNBA, which saw its 2024 playoff TV ratings jump 139% from 2023, setting a record viewership.
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