How Aaliyah Chavez is adapting to SEC play as OU basketball freshman

4 days ago 2

NORMAN — Aaliyah Chavez is adapting to the uptick in competition a little bit more each game during her true freshman season.

Not only is the young star conforming to the physicality of collegiate basketball, but the transition from nonconference play to the unforgiving nature of the SEC. No. 5-ranked Oklahoma will play its first of four consecutive contests against top-20 teams at 6 p.m. Thursday when it hosts No. 17-ranked Ole Miss.

“The game is very different from high school,” coach Jennie Baranczyk said. “It's very physical. The college game, in general, has been more physical than anyone ever anticipates. That's for sure something that (Chavez) is learning.

“You have to be ready every day. That's her superpower. She resets every day and gives what she has every day.”

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Oklahoma guard Aaliyah Chavez (2) passes the ball in the first quarter during an NCAA Women’s basketball game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Belmont Bruins at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025.

Chavez has made it look seamless through her first 15 games. She leads OU with 18.9 points per game — the top scoring mark among all first-year players nationally and the only true freshman ranked inside the top 100 nationally in scoring (she ranks 37th).

When the Sooners (the program’s highest ranking since 2009) host Ole Miss, it’ll be the toughest team Chavez has faced to date, outside of OU’s loss to UCLA in its second game of the season.

Baranczyk has been impressed with the way Chavez and other younger players have taken on the challenge of conference play, contributing to consecutive blowout wins over Texas A&M on the road and Mississippi State at home. That will need to continue.

“You have to be ready to play them,” Baranczyk said of Ole Miss. “You have to have a mindset that you're ready to go. You have to be able to take care of the basketball because they can turn you over so fast. You have to be able to rebound on both ends, because they're going to make the first shot very challenging.”

The Sooners aren’t all about flash. They rank first nationally in field goal percentage defense and Chavez has played a big role in setting the tone.

“You'll watch Aaliyah come over and we're going to talk through the end of quarters, we're going to talk through things like (defense),” Baranczyk said. “Watching her continue to learn, she plays really hard on defense. I don't think you know, she's not a player that just comes down and wants to shoot it and doesn't want to do anything else. She wants to be a complete player.”

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Oklahoma Sooners guard Aaliyah Chavez (2) goes past NC State Wolfpack guard Zamareya Jones (3) during a women's college basketball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the NC State Wolfpack at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. Oklahoma won 103-98.

The Lubbock, Texas, native is one of only four players nationally – and the only freshman – averaging at least 18.9 points, 4.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. She is on pace to join Hannah Hidalgo, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark as freshmen since 2009 to average those figures.

Chavez picked up her fifth SEC Freshman of the Week honor Tuesday after scoring 20 and 17 points against the Aggies and Bulldogs, respectively.

Baranczyk has no doubt Chavez will continue her stellar play against Ole Miss.

“She just keeps learning, that's the beautiful part about her game,” Baranczyk said. “What you love about her is she goes into every game just wanting to play basketball. She doesn't look at who she's playing against. She doesn't even really watch the scoreboard a lot.

“She just wants to play. I mean, obviously, she can manage. She’s a high-IQ, great player who understands time and score in terms of being a point guard, but she is very much somebody who just wants to play.”

Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

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