How Aubrey Galvan is bringing an exciting dynamic to the court at Vanderbilt

Galvan grew up playing basketball against the neighborhood boys, she told The IX Basketball. She said that instilled a certain kind of grit in her. Galvan also frequently showed up to watch her older brother’s basketball practice, and could often be found dribbling on the sidelines.

“His coach came up to my grandpa and my parents and was like, ‘She’s actually kind of good,'” Galvan recalled. “So my grandpa would just take me and my brother to the gym.”

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He didn’t take it easy on the pair, she added, and they were required to show up several days a week; they also had to dribble the ball before they were ever allowed to shoot.

“I think he just taught me the importance of having a handle for shooting. He kind of has been along with me this whole journey,” Galvan said.

That journey included high school in a suburb outside Chicago and a recruitment process that included calls from the Ivy League. Contrary to on-air narration that tends to follow nearly every Vanderbilt game, Galvan disputed claims that she was only recruited by Ivies and the Commodores.

Like a lot of college recruits, Galvan had posted several of her offers to social media before finding the right fit. She took those offers down after committing to Vanderbilt because they “didn’t need to be seen anymore.”

“Vanderbilt was the perfect mix of everything, and I got really lucky,” Galvan said. “… A lot of people, they’re trying to sell you and everything, but Vanderbilt just seemed like the perfect fit.”

Galvan knows that many players can share stories of recruitment gone wrong, stating, “You never know until you really get there” about what a program is like.

“But everything [Vanderbilt] said was true,” Galvan continued. “I don’t know if that’s the same with all the other schools. It probably is, but I couldn’t be any happier with the choice I made.”

Galvan isn’t the only one at Vanderbilt who was, and remains, thrilled with her decision. While speaking with reporters following Mikayla Blakes‘ historic 1,000 career point game last week, Ralph admitted Galvan “drives me crazy — but in all the ways I know a great player will when they’re that young.”

“And,” Ralph added with a smile, “she has so much flair to her game.”

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Flair, she certainly has. Galvan’s collegiate career is still young, but her no-look passes are shouting her name in rooms long before she enters. Galvan’s flashiness on the court is more unexplainable than intentional for her.

“I just have the game come to me,” Galvan said when asked how she’s able to read the court earlier than anyone else. “And then I don’t even know how to explain what goes on through my head during a game. Because people try to make me talk it out, but I don’t even know how to explain how I see it. I just kind of envision different things and how different plays might work out. I just play. I just let the game come to me and make sure I’m having fun.”

As Ralph also put it, “There isn’t a player other than maybe Mikayla [Blakes] that loves basketball more than [Galvan]. She loves to play, and, so, I think the continuous growth for her is just playing with pace and control.”

While Galvan still has plenty to work on, things that “just come with maturity and coaching and awareness,” Ralph added, “I’d rather have her in my locker room than play against her, right?”