Aaliyah Chavez wins 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year

The nation's top recruit adds another impressive achievement to her resume.

Aaliyah Chavez, a McDonald's All-American and the Naismith Award winner, has been named the 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. The Monterey High School (Lubbock, Texas) standout joins a list of past nominees that have flourished in the professional ranks — from All-Star appearances to MVP honors to 15 WNBA championships.

One of those champions was on hand to surprise Chavez with the trophy: 2016 WNBA MVP and former Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Nneka Ogwumike, who helped celebrate the monumental journey that started with a selection process of more than half a million other student-athletes who play high school girls basketball.

As we noted after the three finalists were announced, Chavez has been the best of the best this season, holding rank as the nation's top recruit in the 2025 class. She's been one of the most dynamic players on a nationally ranked Plainsmen team, showing off pure shooting ability while controlling the floor like a seasoned pro.

Per Gatorade, she had eight career games of 50-plus points and—one of the wildest stars ever—scored 1,300 points in the regular season, more than the overall totals of five teams that played Monterey.

"Aaliyah is now a part of an elite alumni group of past Gatorade Nationals Girls Basketball Players of the Year who have gone on to become some of the biggest names in sport," Anuj Bhasin, Gatorade Chief Brand Officer, said in a statement. "She has proven why her name belongs on the trophy, and we look forward to seeing the impact she will continue to make on and off the court."

Like all Gatord award winners, Chavez was equally dynamic in the classroom and community, holding a 3.54 GPA while mentoring elementary school students during the season and helping coach younger generations of basketball players at her father's gym.

Next up is Chavez's college decision, which the talented guard will announce on March 25.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year revealed