5-star post Aaronette Vonleh, Noah’s sister, commits to Arizona women’s basketball

Five-star post Aaronette Vonleh committed to the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, becoming the second member of the 2021 recruiting class.

The 6-foot-3 center/forward has not made an announcement, but her Instagram and Twitter bios have both been updated to say that she’s a UA commit, and a person close to the situation has confirmed her commitment.

Vonleh is the youngest sister of former Indiana Hoosiers star and No. 9 overall pick Noah Vonleh, who is in his sixth season in the NBA and has played for the Hornets, Blazers, Bulls, Knicks, Timberwolves and Nuggets.

Aaronette is the No. 38 prospect and No. 4 post in the 2021 class, according to ESPN. She attends West Linn High School in West Linn, Oregon, where she was her league’s Player of the Year after averaging 17.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, while shooting 64 percent from the field and 49 percent from the free-throw line.

Vonleh has also participated in USA Basketball team trials.

“Physical power-post with interior footwork scores through defenders in the paint,” wrote ESPN’s Dan Olson. “Deceptively agile in transition game; an imposing defensive menace in the block; rebounder and defender with emerging interior game.”

Vonleh joins four-star shooting guard Madison Conner in Arizona’s 2021 class. The Chandler native is the No. 72 prospect in the country, per ESPN, and most known for her 3-point shooting.

Here is an excerpt from a USA basketball feature about Vonleh and her relationship with her brother, who tells her to “don’t focus on the mistakes, just focus on what I can do after that and just leave it all out on the floor.”

She was in the fourth grade when she said she first became interested in basketball, but she recognized she might be able to be really good when she was in seventh grade. So, she began taking a much more serious approach to game. Two years later after moving to Portland, Oregon, to follow her brother to the Portland Trail Blazers, she became a standout high school player as a freshman at West Linn High School.

Her brother was traded to the Chicago Bulls in February of her freshman season, but she remained in Portland for her sophomore season, averaging 18.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, playing mostly as a traditional post.

Vonleh said her brother is probably her biggest influence when it comes to basketball because, “he’s been there, done that.”

When her and her brother are able to spend some time together, he encourages her to expand her game and be able to play on the perimeter and not just with her back to the basket as a traditional post player.

Here are some of Vonleh’s highlights from when she posted a double-double vs. Tigard.

Arizona coach Adia Barnes cannot officially comment on Vonleh’s commitment until National Signing Day, but she did tweet this Saturday:

Today is a good day!

— ADIA BARNES ⬇️ (@AdiaBarnes) July 11, 2020

Vonleh apparently is close with Arizona guard Bendu Yeaney, who joined the Wildcats from Indiana this offseason:

@aaronettevonleh okay netty I see you #goHoosiers https://t.co/mxKbe9VkBu

— Bendu yeaney (@Benduyeaney1) July 19, 2018

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