Aaliyah Chavez delivers Kim Mulkey and LSU devastating blow

 LSU have officially missed out on landing the number one recruit ahead of the 2025 season, with Aaliyah Chavez choosing to join Oklahoma in a somewhat surprising move.

The superstar point guard is seen as one of the most exciting high school players in women's basketball history, recently scoring 123 points in three games while being a do-it-all player, averaging 34 points and nine rebounds a game

Chavez had offers from South Carolina, UCLA, Texas and Texas Tech as well as a host of other schools including LSU, with Kim Mulkey seen at one of her playoff games while making a strong push to land her.

But Chavez has opted to stay closer to home in joining the Sooners, a school that has never won a National Championship and is yet to produce any recognizable WNBA stars over the years.

The Sooners have had an impressive 2024/25 season though, with a 27-7 record entering a Sweet 16 matchup against Paige Bueckers' UConn later this week.

Explaining her decision, Chavez said: "All schools that I chose (as finalists), they were great choices. The coaches, I've had great relationships with all the coaches. OU felt like a family to me. The people that I was with on the visit, we connected for sure. The vibe was definitely different. I definitely think that's what made me pick the choice."

It will be a huge blow for Mulkey and LSU, who are in need of another guard alongside Flau'jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, with the addition of Chavez likely vaulting them right back into championship contention and among the favorites.

Chavez made no secret of LSU's push to bring her to the school, telling On3: "They've recruited me very well. I think I talk to at least an assistant coach every day. They definitely talk to my parents a lot. They’re also a winning program, and I would love to win.

"The visit was fun. It was definitely different than the other visits. They had all the girls there when I was there, so they were in my photoshoots. It was definitely a different vibe. I like their energy as well – at the photoshoot, it was so high. There was no low energy at all."