Speaking of under-recruited prospects, Aaliyah had a tremendous Spring and Summer on the grassroots circuit, and she strikes me as a kid who works hard at her craft, she could disappear for a year or two of early college, then pop back up and have a great Junior & Senior year at a 4-year school, making people question who she is and where she came from. She is extremely powerful, explosive, and quietly tough. She defends well and with her physicality, plus she continues to improve her skill.

This 2027 group of combo guards is very tough, top to bottom, and Aaliyah is just another example of that. She is built like a running back and explodes to the basket. She can turn corners or split defenders, and she absorbs contact well on the finish. She has some touch outside, but her game is getting into the paint. She has improved as a creator/distributor for others, and she excels as a physical on-ball defender. I think she is grossly underrecruited and could have an outstanding small college career.

I felt like Aaliyah had an outstanding Spring & Summer grassroots season, so I’m a little hesitant to put her on this last. However, I am a little surprised more small colleges aren’t recruiting her at this time. She is tough-nosed, strong, physical, and aggressive to the rim. She absorbs contact extremely well and can finish in a variety of ways. Additionally, she is unselfish and can find open teammates in positions to score, plus she is also physical and assertive at the defensive end of the floor. I really think she could be a problem at the next level because of her strength and athleticism.

Aaliyah has been a fun watch all Spring & Summer, and she is playing at a high level. She is so strong, physical, and aggressive for her position. She does a nice job of playing compact, then she explodes vertically when she gets to the basket or needs to pull up for the mid-range jumper. She is more of a scorer, but she doesn’t typically force action, and I think she can be more of a facilitator if needed at the next level. I also enjoy her tenacity at the defensive end of the floor. She can get into ball-handlers, but she’s also able to get deflections/steals when in “help” position.

I think Aaliyah could be in store for a big 2026-2027 season for the Lady Orioles. She is so strong, physical around the perimeter, and she plays with a nice motor. Offensively, she’s able to get downhill and get defenders on her hip. She earns repeated trips to the charity stripe, but she can also finish at the basket in a variety of ways, plus her touch outside has improved. Defensively, she could be elite if/when she plays with just a little more urgeny, and

When I saw Aaliyah for the first time in-person about a month ago, I was very impressed with her play. She is strong/powerful at her size, she is aggressive to the basket, and she plays with a nice motor. She absorbs contact very well, she finishes softly with her left, and she has a solid mid-range pull-up. She makes enough 3-pointers to keep defenses honest, but I was actually intrigued by her vision and willingness to give it up to teammates in transition. I think she could be a quality scoring point guard at the next level.

Friday was my first time seeing Aaliyah in-person as well, and I was impressed with her play. She is strong, tough-nosed, and physical as a smaller guard. She has an “attack” mentality, whether that’s working for steals defensively or getting to the basket and seeking contact upon finishing. In fact, she made a couple of tough finishes through taller defenders in the game I saw. She was constantly active and engaged, and she always seemed to be around the ball. She can make several small colleges tougher in their backcourts.