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.