Indiana Women's Basketball Hosts Visit for 2024 5-Star Zania Socka-Nguemen

Indiana women's basketball and coach Teri Moren hosted a recruiting visit for 2024 five-star Zania Socka-Nguemen, who posted about the visit on Saturday. Socka-Nguemen plays for Sidwell Friends School in Bethesda, Md., and plays for Team Durant on the AAU circuit.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Zania Socka-Nguemen is a women's basketball prospect in the class of 2024, and she's one of the best high school basketball players in the country. 

The five-star forward visited coach Teri Moren and the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington this week, and posted about the visit on social media on Saturday. Socka-Nguemen plays for Sidwell Friends School in Bethesda, Md., and she is currently rated as the 26th overall best player in the class of 2024 by ESPN's HoopGurlz recruiting rankings. 

What’s up Hoosier Nation?!@IndianaWBB #notcommited #official pic.twitter.com/hHp5exvssJ

— Zania “Big Z” Socka-Nguemen (@zan1a_) September 23, 2023

At 6-foot-3, Socka-Nguemen would give Hoosiers another tall, athletic wing in an already impressive frontcourt. Moren and Co. have already earned two commitments in the class of 2024 from both Faith Wiseman and Sydney Fenn. Additionally, Indiana is actively recruiting five-star guard Mikayla Blakes, who is rated as the No. 10 overall best player in the 2024 class by HoopGurlz. 

Indiana also has a 2025 five-star commit in Maya Makalusky. HoosiersNow.com wrote an in-depth profile on the the superstar junior from Fishers, Ind., in July. To read that feature story on Makalusky, CLICK HERE. 

Socka-Nguemen played AAU ball for Team Durant 17U during the 2023 Nike Girls EYBL circuit. In 16 games tracked by Synergy Sports, Socka-Nguemen averaged 14 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. She also shot 76-for-150 on two-point attempts (50.7%) and 40-for-62 on free throws (64.5%). 

The 6-foot-3, five-star announced her top eight schools in August, which included Indiana, as well as two Big Ten rivals in Maryland and Michigan. Tennessee, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Oregon and UCLA also made her top eight. 

Just 8 #top8 pic.twitter.com/yfkNosfYYs

— Zania “Big Z” Socka-Nguemen (@zan1a_) August 22, 2023

To learn more about Socka-Nguemen, HoosiersNow.com reached out to Mark Schindler, a professional basketball reporter and one of the preeminent experts on women's basketball at the high school, college and WNBA levels. 

"I think [Socka-Nguemen] is really good," Schindler told HoosiersNow.com. "She's a multi-positional big right now, a bit of a tweener. She's pretty athletic and has a solid feel for the game, especially on defense. She has some rim protection chops and can move her feet pretty well."

Schindler also said that Socka-Nguemen could bring a new dynamic to Indiana's offense as a big with the ball in her hands more out toward the perimeter, rather just in the paint. 

"She has potential to be a playmaker who can run dribble-handoffs," Schindler said. "I think she could be a really impactful player in the right system."

From Brenda Frese and the Terrapins, to Kim Barnes Arico and the Wolverines, Moren and the Hoosiers have some stiff competition to land the Socka-Nguemen. But if anyone can convince the 2024 five-star from the DMV that Bloomington has the right system for her, it's Moren and her coaching staff. 

Related Stories on Indiana Women's Basketball:

• 2023-24 INDIANA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE: The 2023-24 Indiana women's basketball schedule is finally here, as the Big Ten released full 18-game conference schedules on Thursday. Coach Teri Moren and the Hoosiers have several big-time matchups against Big Ten opponents and against heavyweight teams in the non-conference slate. CLICK HERE
• 2023-24 BIG TEN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE: The conference released its schedule in full for the upcoming college basketball season this Thursday. Here is every game, conference and non-conference, that a Big Ten team is playing in for 2023-24. CLICK HERE
• WHAT TERI MOREN SAID AT MEDIA DAY: Indiana women's basketball coach Teri Moren spoke to media on Wednesday and addressed what she expects from her nationally prominent team, how they've moved forward from last year's disappointing end and what fans should expect to see this season. CLICK HERE