Syracuse women’s basketball: USC guard Shalexxus Aaron will transfer to ‘Cuse next season

The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team has added a new shooting threat to its 2021-22 roster. Guard Shalexxus Aaron has announced her intent to transfer from the University of Southern California to Syracuse next season. Aaron is a redshirt junior and has two years of college eligibility left.

In two seasons with the Trojans, Aaron averaged 6.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 41 games and eight starts. She shot 42.2% from the field, 41.1% from three, and 82.6% from the free throw line. Nearly 70% of Aaron’s shot attempts came from three-point range (151/223). During the 2020-21 season, Aaron contributed 6.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12 games.

Injuries have plagued Aaron’s basketball career, dating back to her sophomore year of high school where she tore her ACL. She redshirted her freshman season at USC to recover from a knee injury sustained at the end of her senior year of high school. Aaron also did not compete in the 2019-20 season due to injury.

Aaron spent her final year of high school at Martin Luther King High in Riverside, Calif. There, she was a CIF Southern Section First Team selection, 2017 Athlete of the Year by the Riverside Press Enterprise, league MVP, and CIF All-State Second Team in 2017. She spent her first three years of high school at Juanita High in Seattle, Wash. Aaron averaged 18.1 points per game in her junior year and was a two-time league MVP, a two-time Seattle Times First Team pick, and a 2016 All-State selection.

The Apple Valley, Calif. native comes from a strong basketball family, as her mother played at Cal State San Bernardino; her father played professionally in Australia, and her brother Shaddean played at Mercer College and USC. Aaron considers her brother her biggest sports hero.

Aaron will fill a much needed roster spot for Syracuse now that Tiana Mangakahia has declared for the WNBA draft and junior Emily Engstler and freshman Faith Blackstone have entered the transfer portal. There are also reports that sophomore Taleah Washington intends to enter her name in the portal as well. Washington & Blackstone were two of the four players suspended during the postseason due to a violation of team rules. Seniors Kiara Lewis, Digna Strautmane, and Amaya Finklea-Guity have not announced whether they will use their extra year of eligibility (due to COVID-19).

Welcome to Central New York, Shalexxus Aaron!