Aubrey Galvan on What Brought Her to Vanderbilt, Blocking Out the Noise, and Just Being a Baller
The Baller Mentality of Aubrey Galvan
Imagine coming in as a freshman starting point guard in the SEC, and nothing really fazes you. What may seem like a daunting task for the average person hasn’t bothered Vanderbilt point guard Aubrey Galvan one bit. Sure, she’s had a little adversity here and there, but that is the game. What is most important is the continued response and just her baller outlook on it all.
In a recent conversation, I sat down with Galvan and discussed what brought her to Vanderbilt, her experience, and the high basketball IQ that she possesses, along with Coach Shea Ralph and Mikayla Blakes. When it comes down to Aubrey Galvan, she just loves the game and is a baller. It’s that simple.
I wanted to go back to high school to gain knowledge of what she looked for in the recruiting process, and of course, Vanderbilt University checked those boxes.
“I mean, during the whole recruiting process, I’d focus on like three things. It was always a good culture. That was my number one, basically. Like, you find a good culture, and that can drive you a long way, just if you love the people there. I saw it in the coaching staff and everything,” she said.
“So another one was like a good coaching staff, and then also fitting the style of play. I just saw that in Vanderbilt, so I trusted that everything they said was true, and it really showed when I came down on my visit as well. And then Vanderbilt is also just a great school as well.”
Before Galvan made her commitment to Vanderbilt, she was often categorized as not being big or strong enough to play SEC ball, even as a two-time Adidas All-American, the 2025 MaxPreps Illinois Player of the Year, and one of the best to ever play in the state of Illinois.
Coach Ralph has talked about this several times. It fires her up. To this date, Galvan has won SEC Freshman of the Week four times, and she averages 12.6 points per game, 6.0 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.9 steals per game. She also shares the lead in minutes per game with Blakes at 33.8 minutes per game.
Even then, Aubrey Galvan didn’t let outside noise get to her, and neither does she now. Galvan just wants to play basketball. That is it! She lets no outside chatter determine how she plays, whether it is good or bad.
“Honestly, like for the most part, I don’t let outside noise come in, whether it’s good or bad. I try to just stay composed, know who I am. I have my circle of people. My team, team back home, and my coaches. So, I knew what I could do. I didn’t ever want to get too high or too low,” Galvan said.
“As long as I had the confidence in me, and I mean, Coach Ralph also had the confidence in me, and she’d let that be known from our first call as well. So, it means a lot when it does come from the head coach, and she also repeats it to you. But again, it’s up to me how I want to take it, and I didn’t really let it get too much in my head.”
The unshaken confidence of Galvan shows every night, and you can also see it right off when speaking with her. She plays for a head coach who has been around the game for a long time. Coach Shea Ralph has won a lot, and she also knows what it’s like to lose as well. All of that forms her great knowledge and high IQ of the game. That also spreads to her team. People often say that a team is a reflection of its head coach.
“I mean, she just is a high-IQ person. She understands basketball and also knows that each player is different. So, it can’t be this player does this, this player does that, you should be able to do this and that. No, she knows who you are and what role you can play,” Galvan said.
“But I mean, she’s helped me a lot because she told me and has shown that she has confidence in me. But she also gives me great tips. She coaches me very well, because I’m still learning, and I’m always open to learning, especially from a great coach, and also other coaches on our coaching staff. I mean, everybody’s very smart, so we have a great coaching staff.”
The great team culture shows, and you see and hear it right off from anyone who speaks. Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball believes in the team. Even when bringing up her season-high 30-point performance in a win over No. 10 Oklahoma Monday night, Galvan first chalked it up to basketball is basketball, and then immediately acknowledged the team effort.
“You take what (basketball) gives you. It’s just reading every play. But it was a team effort. I mean, everybody who stepped on the floor, the whole bench, all the coaching staff, they all contributed to us getting that win and how we did as well,” said Galvan. “We just have great teammates, and they’re pushing me to be better. I’m pushing them to be better. So, I just think we got the result we wanted because we stuck together.”
That team culture and chemistry are always on display. Even in press conferences, players are always crediting each other. One of the closest duos I have seen in quite some time is Galvan and Blakes.
“She definitely makes my life a lot easier, and she is just the best player in the country,” the point guard said about playing with Blakes. “She just has such an IQ for the game. Her level of IQ for the game is amazing, which makes it a lot easier on me. And it makes it easier just to read stuff off of each other.”
The freshman and sophomore duo play like they have been teammates for years. That goes back to having a great basketball IQ, and also the time put in during practice. If they are already this good together, just imagine what the next two years will bring. Such a dangerous combo, and most of what you see on the floor between the two just comes naturally.
If you have seen some of the passes and behind-the-back dribbles in traffic that Aubrey Galvan has pulled off in games, she makes some exciting plays, and if I am being honest, she scares me sometimes. That comes from a level of confidence in her game, and something that she has done since she picked up a basketball, which is natural.
Then there are times when she just may be a little bored and want to have fun.
“That’s just been like what I’ve been doing growing up, just playing basketball. I don’t know. I think it just, it was more of a natural thing for sure, and then in games, like with my passes, I just get bored and try something new that I maybe saw on YouTube or something, or just saw in a random game, whether it’s like a behind-the-back pass or something,” she said. “So, I’m always just trying to keep the game fun. Also, just making the right play out of every possession as well.”
Last, I wanted to know how a young college basketball player handles or ignores the debates of fans these days. The debates over the different awards and accolades are loud right now. I know I can’t get on X/Twitter without it coming across my eyes. As she told me at the beginning, she just blocks out the noise, good or bad, and isn’t worried about a stranger’s comments.
“I try my best for it to not affect me at all. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t seen stuff, whether it’s good or bad. Like I said before, I mean, if you let the good get to your head, gets you pumped up, then you’re also gonna let the bad comments or things that people say about you bring you down as well,” Galvan responded.
“So honestly, it only matters from the people that I trust. I mean, I don’t know these people who are online just sitting behind a phone, making random comments. I mean, so I trust more of my circle, like family, my teammates, and coaches. That’s the feedback that really matters and that I take into account for sure. I try my best not to let outside noise really get to me, get in my head, or anything.”
The confidence, focus, selfless character, and skill that Aubrey Galvan possesses are why she will continue to thrive in this Vanderbilt women’s basketball program. “Aub the Baller” just likes to play basketball, and it is really that simple for her.
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