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basketball Edit

Guyton picks up Iowa offer

While members of the media were in attendance for part of the Iowa Women’s Basketball practice on Friday afternoon, Peoria High School Guard Aaliyah Guyton was on an unofficial visit and was amongst the viewers of the practice. The Hawkeyes extended her a scholarship offer at the end of her visit.


Aaliyah was a born a basketball player as both of her parents had successful careers on the court. Her father, AJ Guyton, played his college basketball at Indiana and was selected in the 2000 NBA Draft. He played in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors before going to Europe to continue his career. Aaliyah’s mother Adrianna Moises Pinto-Mafra played in the Olympics five times with the Brazilian National Team and also played in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury.

As a sophomore at Peoria this past season, Guyton averaged 20.2 points, 3.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game for a Lions team that went 25-4. She was named Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, while she was a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection and an IBCA All-State First Team selection. Prep Girls Hoops rates her as the #6 guard and #10 overall prospect in Illinois for the class of 2024.

She currently has other offers from Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Mississippi State, Missouri, Vanderbilt, DePaul, Bradley, Illinois-Chicago and Oakland.

We caught up with the incoming Peoria junior to talk about her recent visit to Iowa City and more.

Q: What are your thoughts on receiving an offer from Iowa?

GUYTON: I feel like it’s a blessing to receive an offer from such a big school. I’m glad to know that they saw potential in me, and it also shows that my hard work is paying off. I’m glad to know that I have that opportunity.

Q: How did your visit go? What are your thoughts on the facilities, campus and whole city?

GUYTON: My visit went very well. It was my first time being there and I thought the campus was very nice. I loved the facilities and being able to step foot in the actual arena.

Q: What is your relationship like with Coach Lisa Bluder and the rest of the coaching staff?

GUYTON: My relationship with Coach Bluder, I think is very good, and if we keep building from it, things will just keep going upward and we could actually have a bond. I feel the same way about the rest of the coaching staff. They made me feel very welcomed and everything was very enjoyable.

Q: What does the rest of your summer look like? When does high school stuff start?

GUYTON: My summer is actually coming to an end. I start school August 3rd, but with that, I’ll still have my workouts and hopefully we’ll start open gyms soon and get things going. I’m still waiting for my coach to reach out to us, but until then I’ll just be doing individual workouts. Our high school games will most likely start around November.

Q: What are some things you are looking for in a school that would make them standout compared to others?

GUYTON: The two main things that I look for are comfort and my style. I want to make sure that wherever I’m at I feel comfortable with the environment, the staff and players. I also want to make sure the team fits my style of play, which is more up-tempo style.

Q: If you take a step back and evaluate your game right now, what would you say are your strengths and what are some things you want to improve on?

GUYTON: I believe some of my strengths are my decision making off of pick and rolls, being able to play multiple positions, whether I’m the 1 or 2 and my defense and the way I play hard. Lastly, my leadership skills and being able to stay positive no matter if things are going my way or not. Some things I need to get better on, I would say finishing at the rim or finding different ways to finish. Also being more consistent with my midrange game.

Q: Have you been hearing from any other schools that are not on your current offer list? Any visits lined up for the fall?

GUYTON: I’ve heard from other schools that haven’t offered yet such as, California, Ball State and Alabama. I’m looking to plan visits to DePaul and Oakland.


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