Photo by: Caren Nicdao
Future Bruins Named to High School Player of the Year Watch List
November 16, 2023 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Three future UCLA women's basketball student-athletes have been named to the 2023-24 Jersey Mike's Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year Watch List, as announced by the Naismith Awards on Tuesday.
Avary Cain, Kendall Dudley and Zania Socka are listed on the preseason watch list; all three high school seniors signed with the Bruins during last week's National Signing Day.
The Bruins are the only collegiate program with three or more five-star recruits from the Class of 2024 committed to joining them next season. ESPN ranks UCLA second in the early top 10 classes of women's college basketball.
The full preseason watch list is available here.
Avary Cain – Saint Joseph High School (Orcutt, Calif.)
The five-star guard has been stellar for Saint Joseph during her high school career; she arrived with a bang her freshman year, averaging 19.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.9 steals per game during her first season. Most recently, Cain put up 21.1 points, grabbed 7.0 rebounds, threw 2.8 assists and swiped 3.5 steals per game in her junior campaign.
Kendall Dudley – Sidwell Friends School (Centreville, Va.)
The 6-foot-2 wing out of Sidwell Friends School committed to UCLA Women's Basketball live on ESPNU in April 2023, the first female high school player to commit live on ESPN.
As a freshman, the five-star wing averaged 8.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game suiting up next to then-teammate Kiki Rice at Sidwell Friends. After Rice's departure, Dudley saw an increase in minutes and production – as a junior, Dudley averaged 9.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.7 steals per game.
Zania Socka - Sidwell Friends School (Silver Spring, Md.)
Zania "Big Z" Socka ranks 26th in the 2024 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings, according to espnW.
The five-star forward is an athletic wing, comfortable with the ball in her hands and who can finish on both sides of the basket. She is a multi-positional big that moves her feet and looks to protect the rim on the defensive end, impacting the game with her length and effort. Socka looks to reunite with Sidwell Friends teammates Dudley and Rice in a Bruin uniform.
Avary Cain, Kendall Dudley and Zania Socka are listed on the preseason watch list; all three high school seniors signed with the Bruins during last week's National Signing Day.
The Bruins are the only collegiate program with three or more five-star recruits from the Class of 2024 committed to joining them next season. ESPN ranks UCLA second in the early top 10 classes of women's college basketball.
The full preseason watch list is available here.
Avary Cain – Saint Joseph High School (Orcutt, Calif.)
The five-star guard has been stellar for Saint Joseph during her high school career; she arrived with a bang her freshman year, averaging 19.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.9 steals per game during her first season. Most recently, Cain put up 21.1 points, grabbed 7.0 rebounds, threw 2.8 assists and swiped 3.5 steals per game in her junior campaign.
Kendall Dudley – Sidwell Friends School (Centreville, Va.)
The 6-foot-2 wing out of Sidwell Friends School committed to UCLA Women's Basketball live on ESPNU in April 2023, the first female high school player to commit live on ESPN.
As a freshman, the five-star wing averaged 8.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game suiting up next to then-teammate Kiki Rice at Sidwell Friends. After Rice's departure, Dudley saw an increase in minutes and production – as a junior, Dudley averaged 9.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.7 steals per game.
Zania Socka - Sidwell Friends School (Silver Spring, Md.)
Zania "Big Z" Socka ranks 26th in the 2024 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings, according to espnW.
The five-star forward is an athletic wing, comfortable with the ball in her hands and who can finish on both sides of the basket. She is a multi-positional big that moves her feet and looks to protect the rim on the defensive end, impacting the game with her length and effort. Socka looks to reunite with Sidwell Friends teammates Dudley and Rice in a Bruin uniform.
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