Latest news with #HighSchoolPlayeroftheYear
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
USC top recruit Alijjah Arenas needs surgery for knee injury, will be out 6 to 8 months
LOS ANGELES — Alijah Arenas ' college basketball career is on hold before the highly touted freshman has played his first game. He was diagnosed with a knee injury that will require surgery and rehab is expected to take at least six to eight months, the school said Wednesday. 'Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person,' USC coach Eric Musselman. 'He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process.' Arenas, whose father Gilbert played in the NBA, was involved in a car crash that left him in an induced coma in April. He crashed his Tesla Cybertruck into a tree, smoke filled the front cabin and the doors wouldn't open. He spent nearly 10 minutes in the burning vehicle before bystanders helped pull him to safety. Arenas was in the hospital for six days but did not suffer major injuries. He is a five-star recruit and 2025 McDonald's All-American. The 2024 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year is also the top scorer in CIF LA City Section history, accumulating 3,002 points in three years of high school.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
USC top recruit Alijjah Arenas needs surgery for knee injury and will be out 6 to 8 months
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alijah Arenas ' college basketball career is on hold before the highly touted freshman has played his first game. He was diagnosed with a knee injury that will require surgery and rehab is expected to take at least six to eight months, the school said Wednesday. "Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person,' USC coach Eric Musselman. 'He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process.' Arenas, whose father Gilbert played in the NBA, was involved in a car crash that left him in an induced coma in April. He crashed his Tesla Cybertruck into a tree, smoke filled the front cabin and the doors wouldn't open. He spent nearly 10 minutes in the burning vehicle before bystanders helped pull him to safety. Arenas was in the hospital for six days but did not suffer major injuries. He is a five-star recruit and 2025 McDonald's All-American. The 2024 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year is also the top scorer in CIF LA City Section history, accumulating 3,002 points in three years of high school. ___
Fox Sports
6 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
USC top recruit Alijjah Arenas needs surgery for knee injury and will be out 6 to 8 months
Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alijah Arenas ' college basketball career is on hold before the highly touted freshman has played his first game. He was diagnosed with a knee injury that will require surgery and rehab is expected to take at least six to eight months, the school said Wednesday. "Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person,' USC coach Eric Musselman. 'He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process.' Arenas, whose father Gilbert played in the NBA, was involved in a car crash that left him in an induced coma in April. He crashed his Tesla Cybertruck into a tree, smoke filled the front cabin and the doors wouldn't open. He spent nearly 10 minutes in the burning vehicle before bystanders helped pull him to safety. Arenas was in the hospital for six days but did not suffer major injuries. He is a five-star recruit and 2025 McDonald's All-American. The 2024 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year is also the top scorer in CIF LA City Section history, accumulating 3,002 points in three years of high school. ___ AP college basketball: and recommended Item 1 of 2 in this topic
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
USC top recruit Alijjah Arenas needs surgery for knee injury and will be out 6 to 8 months
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alijah Arenas ' college basketball career is on hold before the highly touted freshman has played his first game. He was diagnosed with a knee injury that will require surgery and rehab is expected to take at least six to eight months, the school said Wednesday. 'Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor, and person,' USC coach Eric Musselman. 'He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority. We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger. We look forward to supporting him during this process.' Arenas, whose father Gilbert played in the NBA, was involved in a car crash that left him in an induced coma in April. He crashed his Tesla Cybertruck into a tree, smoke filled the front cabin and the doors wouldn't open. He spent nearly 10 minutes in the burning vehicle before bystanders helped pull him to safety. Arenas was in the hospital for six days but did not suffer major injuries. He is a five-star recruit and 2025 McDonald's All-American. The 2024 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year is also the top scorer in CIF LA City Section history, accumulating 3,002 points in three years of high school. ___ AP college basketball: and
NBC Sports
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Aaliyah Chavez did everything in high school except rep the USA. That changes at Nike Hoops Summit.
PORTLAND — Aaliyah Chavez had the high school career most players only dream about: • Named 2025 Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year. • Averaged 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.7 steals per game, leading her Monterey High School team to a 37-5 record and the Texas 5A Division 2 state title. • Got shouted out by Trae Young when she committed to Oklahoma. • Inspiring a generation of young players and fans who travel hours to see her play. • Become a social media sensation, including more than 85,000 Instagram followers. Aaliyah Chavez being hard to guard! @AALIYAH2CHAVEZ However, she had never played for USA Basketball or worn that USA across the front of her jersey. That changes Saturday night when she laces them up for the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland (7:30 p.m. on the USA Network and streaming on Peacock), playing with and against the best high school seniors from around the globe. She is not taking this for granted. 'It means a lot. I've grown up in the USA, so just coming out and supporting my country just means a lot,' Chavez told NBC Sports. 'And just to be able to wear this jersey, it's just such a blessing, just because not a lot of people get to put on this jersey.' Part of that pride is because she understands what her wearing that jersey represents. Chavez is of Mexican descent, is proud of that and how she has inspired a generation of younger hoopers. 'I feel just all the little kids that look up to me,' Chavez said. 'I think it's just me coming out, just showing them that it's possible if you work hard, if you put your mind to it, then you'll, you'll get the accolades you want. She's getting something out of the week of practices and scrimmages at the Nike Hoops Summit, too — going against the best in practice is forcing her to raise her game. 🪣 @AALIYAH2CHAVEZ ALL DAY FROM 3️⃣ 'Mentally, you just got to focus and make sure that you're on your best ability every practice, because these are great girls that you're working with and going against,' Chavez said. 'And then, physically, they're hard, they're strong, so you just got to make sure you're on your 'A' game, every game.' Strong work ethic Being on her 'A' game all the time is part of what Chavez is known for — she developed a smooth stroke and the handles that help her create the space to get that shot off through countless hours in the gym, specifically working with her father, Sonny (who has been her trainer since she started playing). Chavez and her father say the drive was there before her skills caught up to it. 'I think I kind of had it from day one…" Chavez said of her work ethic, before referencing her favorite player, Kobe Bryant. 'I think I feel like I have the Kobe mentality. He was always the first one in the gym, the last one in the gym. And I grew up around watching Kobe videos, so just coming out and making sure that that's the person I am.' In the gym, it's business. 'A lot of people, you see them get in the gym, they're checking their phones, they're doing stuff outside of basketball,' Chavez said. 'When I'm in the gym, it's literally straight basketball. It doesn't matter if I'm dribbling, shooting anything, it's straight basketball. And then outside of basketball, if I'm not in the gym, then I'll hang out with friends. I'll be with my family most of the time.' Chavez admits she's a little quiet and reserved in new situations and around people she doesn't know as well, as is the case at the start of the Nike Hoops Summit (where many of her teammates knew each other from other USA and national showcases). Once comfortable, like around her family, it's different — she is anything but quiet. 'No, they say I'm annoying,' Chavez said with a laugh. Olympic dreams Next up for Chavez is playing at Oklahoma, a school she chose partly because the Sooners play an up-tempo style that fits her game. Her choice made Oklahoma alum and NBA All-Star Trae Young happy. 'Aaliyah is the next Paige Bueckers, the next Juju Watkins, the next Caitlin Clark of college basketball…" Young said. 'It's exciting that she's going to be in Norman, Oklahoma now. We get to go and support her, I'm going to be supporting her any time I can.' The Nike Hoops Summit may be the first time Chavez dons a USA jersey, but she does not want it to be her last. 'I want to be in the Olympics, obviously, when I'm older,' Chavez said. 'So I think this is gonna help me a lot, just because I see how the USA [staff] are coaching, and that's gonna help me in the future.' For now, she's just going to enjoy the Nike Hoops Summit experience — especially going against CyFair Elite AAU teammates Bella Hines and Ayla McDowell playing for the World Team in Portland. Chavez also is enjoying getting to tweak her role and focus on the little things that lead to winning, not just getting buckets. 'These are great players, so you don't have to focus so much on winning, and you just got to come out and support your teammates,' Chavez said. 'They're going to make the wide open shots, they're going to make sure that we're making the right plays. And I feel like that's the great thing about it. You're out here having fun with elite players, so you don't have to worry about taking over a game or scoring 100 points. You just have to worry about us winning the game.' Chavez expects to win, and that's the one thing that will not change no matter what name is across the front of her jersey.
