The Crimson have landed another star athlete from Ventura County.
Oak Park High senior Maya Deshautelle, the top returning girls basketball player in Ventura County according to The Star’s rankings, committed to play for Harvard on Aug. 8 while on an official visit to campus.
Deshautelle held offers from multiple Ivy League programs, including Yale, Dartmouth and Penn, before making her decision. Other offers included Loyola Marymount, Lehigh, UC Davis, Cal Baptist, UC Riverside and more.
“I spent time with the whole team and coaches, got to watch practice, I was like, ‘I want to be here now. Teleport me here, move all my stuff,’ ” Deshautelle said with a laugh. “I knew, and committed the next morning.”
The 2025-26 Coastal Canyon League Most Valuable
Player was a key co-star to The Star Player of the Year Karisma Flores last season. She averaged 13.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Deshautelle's athleticism, defensive prowess and willingness to play multiple roles for the team made her extremely valuable.
“(I am) someone who wants to win more than anything else,” Deshautelle said. “Someone who is hyper-competitive, believes in the program and thinks good students can hoop too.”
Deshautelle will join three other locals at Harvard, including Ventura High graduates Aelo Curtis and Sarah Beckman, as well as former Calabasas baseball player Matthew Witkow.
“After all the basketball, it feels really good to hit another milestone, and I think it is one of the biggest ones,” Deshautelle said of picking her college home. “(It is a) huge relief, but kind of relief mixed with excitement. I really just can’t wait until next year.”
Dominic Massimino is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at dominic.massimino@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsdominic on Twitter and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oak Park High basketball star commits to Harvard
