Girls: 5-Star Earns Nat’l Honor
In attaining one of the ultimate honors for a high school basketball player, Aalyah Del Rosario will bring some Bronx reputation to the nationally prestigious and tradition rich McDonald's All American game.
On Tuesday, the Class of 2023 forward/Center was named a McDonald's All American.
Del Rosario, a 6-foot-6 menacing shot blocker and back to the rim scoring threat headed to LSU, was announced to the team's East roster. A five star recruit now at the Webb School (Tennessee), Del Rosario is a deftly skilled inside and pick and pop presence who hits the glass with sustained relentlessness.
And while she's able to bulldoze her way to the bucket and back down smaller defenders in the post, it is Del Rosario's purity of vision which makes her such a unique recruit.
While she averaged 13 points and 11 boards as a junior, Del Rosario also averaged four assists. She's able to create opportunities kicking the ball out of the post and firing in transition assists. She puts the ball on the deck as well as anyone in the country at her imposing size.
Del Rosario's natural passing ability and feel for the game garnered the New Heights AAU product the nickname, "The Big Guard."
From the Dominican Republic originally, Del Rosario spent her formative hoops years in the Bronx.
Her game developed and prospered under AAU coach Dominique Nutte with New Heights. Del Rosario went from a raw project to a walking double double with the type of rim protection and gritty interior defense akin to a 1990s NBA Center.
Pushing Del Rosario's evolution as a player has been her point guard (both on New Heights and at the Webb School) in gritty Bronx-bred guard Angelica Velez.
A four star recruit with a traditional point guard's skill set and a slick scoring arsenal, Velez is also headed to LSU. The NYC tandem is part of a nationally prized recruiting class under Kim Mulkey, whose Tigers are currently no.4 nationally and 20-0.
Del Rosario's game has improved in all facets since she played as a freshman at the now defunct Trenton Academy in New Jersey.
Her rarefied skill set at her size and ability to establish an inside-outside game with Velez has again given NYC national visibility on the women's side.
Del Rosario's future LSU teammate Mikaylah Williams, the reigning Gatorade State Player of the Year in Louisiana and the top player in the country, will also play in the ESPN aired event.