With 2:18 left in the first quarter between Alabama and Auburn on Sunday, guard Aaliyah Nye made a 3-pointer.
This wasn’t a first-time occurrence, as she had made plenty throughout her three years at Alabama since transferring from Illinois. But this 3-point basket was special, as it was the 273rd she made in her Crimson Tide career, which broke the school record.
“I really haven’t fully processed it yet, but I’m just very thankful for my team and coaches for putting me in this position,” Nye said. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to get the open looks that I do.”
This isn’t the only all-time program mark Nye holds, however. She also took the school record for most 3s made in a season when she made 108 last season, and she is 12 away from breaking her own record this season.
Nye currently holds both the school single-season and career record for 3-point percentage, as this season she currently holds a 45.1% mark from downtown and has shot 43.7% in her three seasons in Tuscaloosa.
“The work always shows,” guard Sarah Ashlee Barker said. “She shoots all the time. She’s amazing.”
This season, Nye currently ranks second in the country in 3-pointers made with 96 and is averaging 14.7 points per game to help lead the Crimson Tide to one of its best seasons in program history.
Head coach Kristy Curry has been coaching Nye for the past three seasons, and she reflected on how impressive Nye’s record is, along with pointing out the guard’s “out-of-this-world” work ethic.
“To do that in three years, I want y’all to think about that. Three years, not four,” Curry said. “The work that she puts in beyond practice, the time that she shoots when nobody is watching, it’s just been amazing to work.”
With this being Nye’s last college season, she will look to help lead the Crimson Tide to a deep tournament run and continue to make history. She also seems well-poised for a WNBA career.
“I cannot wait for her future,” Curry said. “She’s a star.”
