Star power all over the court for the Lubbock Monterey girls basketball team
The McDonald's Classic Basketball Tournament has brought in its share of big name high school players and coaches in recent years.
This season's Lubbock Monterey girls basketball team certainly has lots of talent, which was evident in Thursday's 122-34 win against an injury and sickness riddled Pebble Hills squad at Pebble Hills High School on the first day of the three-day tournament.
The Lady Plainsmen, who play at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday and at 11 a.m. Saturday at Eastlake high School, have one of the country's premiere players in point guard Aaliyah Chavez, a sophomore whose popularity is evident as she was mobbed after Thursday's win for photos and autographs. Chavez entered Wednesday's game averaging more than 32 points and four assists a game and was on target with both stats in Thursday's game. She showcased her variety of skills, which include shooting the 3-point shot, finding the open teammate and using her strength to overwhelm opponents.
"I feel like my strength has come a long way," Chavez said. "This year I feel less stressed, I'm having more fun. Every game last year, I was double teamed, triple teamed. This year, I'm just having more fun."
Multiple schools have reached out to Chavez, who has been playing basketball since the second grade, but Chavez doesn't talk much about the recruiting process at least outwardly and has stopped posting her offers on social media.
"I'm focused on the season, helping our team reach our goals and working on getting better as a player and leader," said Chavez, who scored 45 points earlier this week in a win against Wolfforth Frenship.
One of Chavez' teammates is the highly regarded Jaelyn Morrison, a former star at Hanks for three years before moving to Lubbock earlier this year. Morrison has been steady for the Lady Plainsmen this season and started Thursday's game. She showed her tremendous passing and shot skills in Thursday's win and has been a valuable addition to the team.
"With Aaliyah at point guard, that's freed me up a lot and it's been a good transition," Morrison said. "The team has accepted me, has helped me grow as a player and we have a great team. I'm just working hard, working to be the best teammate I can be."
The Lady Plainsmen coach is Jill Rankin Schneider, who is a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, has won more than 600 games in her coaching career, was a member of the 1980 USA Olympic Basketball team and was an assistant coach at the University of Texas on a national title team before entering the high school coaching ranks.
"At the time, I wanted to have children and our family decided to make that move to the high school level," said Rankin Schneider, a mother of three who grew up in Phillips, Texas. "I love coaching on this level, I love having an impact on the youth."
The Lady Plainsmen are ranked No.1 in Class 5A in Texas this season and their only two losses were by four to Putnam City West (Oklahoma) and by one to Duncanville. Last year, Lubbock Monterey reached the Region I-5A Tournament.
"We have the team to win state," Chavez said. "That is our goal and we have the team to do it. But we have to work hard and keep playing as a team."
Added Morrison: "Our chemistry is solid, we have lots of players who play with great energy."
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Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Star power all over the court for Lubbock Monterey girls basketball
