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Awesome scene at USC’s campus on Thursday … injured Trojan hoops recruit Aaliyah Gayles made a surprise visit to one of her future team’s workouts — and their reaction to seeing her was priceless!
The heartwarming moment was caught on video, showing Gayles — who was shot multiple times at a house party in April just months after committing to USC — popping up on the Trojans women’s basketball team.
You can see in the clip, the team was stoked for the visit … with sophomore guard Bella Perkins jumping for joy before the rest of the team came together for a group hug.
Gayles’ father, Dwight, tells TMZ Sports this was Aaliyah’s first time with the team since she was shot at a North Las Vegas house party on April 16. As we reported, she was hit by bullets 10 times in both her arms and legs.
Dwight says Gayles — the #8 ranked player of the 2022 class — and her Trojan teammates hit up the Los Angeles Sparks game later Thursday … and they had a blast.
“Aaliyah said the DJ was super cool,” Dwight said. “They treated her like a superstar.”
When it comes to her recovery, Dwight says Aaliyah is progressing well.
“Her recovery is epic,” he said. “It’s unreal! You’ll see!”
Gayles has had plenty of ups recently on her road to recovery — she graduated from Spring Valley High, took her first steps out of her wheelchair, and made her first basket earlier this month.
Keep going, Aaliyah!!!