UCLA transfer Zania Socka-Nguemen commits to Indiana women’s basketball

The Hoosiers landed a commitment from the former McDonald’s All-American out of the transfer portal.

Indiana women’s basketball landed a commitment from UCLA transfer forward Zania Socka-Nguemen on Saturday, per an announcement on Twitter:

Socka-Nguemen just completed her freshman season with the Bruins, having had a depth role with limited minutes. With the likelihood of another season on the bench on the horizon, she entered the portal after UCLA’s elimination in the Final Four.

Indiana was heavily involved in Socka-Nguemen’s initial recruitment out of high school, even earning an official visit. That interest and prior relationship paid off here with a strong opportunity for both parties.

For Socka-Nguemen, there’ll be an opportunity to compete for a starting role. She’s a talented big with strong rebounding ability who can put the ball on the deck and drive to the basket. If she doesn’t get a clean look off the drive, she has the footwork to generate one on her own.

She has great length on the defensive end of the court as well and is a capable rim protector. This is a great add for the program at a position of need.