LadyGriz - Lady Griz Recruiting: 2025+ (2024)

WyomingGrizFan said:

Looks like the leading scorer of the FIBA Basketball Oceania U17 Championship Series was a Malia Jae Ruud from Chiawana High School in Pasco, Washington, representing Samoa. Second was a 6'2" Saffron Shiels of Australia (#6) and Lene of NZ was third in scoring with 6'4" Lara Somfai of Australia (#8) fifth:

https://fiba.basketball/oceania/u17women/2023/playerstats

Championship Game between Australia and New Zealand wherein Lene was wearing #11 for the New Zealand team:

One of the few times I've seen players of both teams even, shake hands with the referees. Wonder if having crowds of two to four thousand attending home games might entice other players from 'Down Under' to come to Missoula to play. Game atmosphere and appreciation and all that.

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Ruud is an interesting prospect. 6'2 can shoot it, post and has really good instincts. Has a slew of offers from P5 to LM. Mom played ar UW.

As far as the ladies coming from NZ and Australia to UM. Maybe one of the new coaches will be used strictly for international recruiting. Many staffs have someone that has a diverse recruiting background and they are used to bring in players from International countries.

If you look at the trend in the NBA internationals are starting to get a footing in the % playing in the league. The womens game won't take long to catch up to that trend. Already taking place in college game. If WNBA ever had the chance to pay more to players we could see that take place there too.

Internationals come with a different mindset when provided opportunities in US. They approach the game and opportunity differently and many don't come with the baggage (parents and bad habits) that US players do.

Just our 2 cents.

WyomingGrizFan said:

Looks like the leading scorer of the FIBA Basketball Oceania U17 Championship Series was a Malia Jae Ruud from Chiawana High School in Pasco, Washington, representing Samoa. Second was a 6'2" Saffron Shiels of Australia (#6) and Lene of NZ was third in scoring with 6'4" Lara Somfai of Australia (#8) fifth:

https://fiba.basketball/oceania/u17women/2023/playerstats

Championship Game between Australia and New Zealand wherein Lene was wearing #11 for the New Zealand team:

One of the few times I've seen players of both teams even, shake hands with the referees. Wonder if having crowds of two to four thousand attending home games might entice other players from 'Down Under' to come to Missoula to play. Game atmosphere and appreciation and all that.

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Nice to see basketball catching on. When I went to school in NZ, it was a varsity sport but lagged behind rugby, cricket and soccer. The Internet has been a plus as it has introduced Kiwis to the world.

Should’ve seen me trying to explain baseball and football to them. Mates at school thought football was pansy because they wore pads - and then I eventually took one to a bowl game. The year I was there, the Super Bowl was delayed video of each play. Quite strange to listen to commentary by friends who had no idea what was going on.

Eventually we played both baseball and football, with wrong equipment but they got the general idea. Couple of them are now big 49ers fans.

WyomingGrizFan said:

Don't know if a comparison can be made, perhaps yes maybe not, whatever; to be seen, I guess. But the University of Santa Clara had four players on their roster last year (2023-24) from Australia. One of them a 5'10" sophom*ore Tess Heal has started each game she's been a Bronco since she stepped foot on the court; averaged 17.6 ppg as a freshman. As a sophom*ore she averaged 19.5 ppg on 87 % FT shooting, 46 % from treys and 46 % FG shooting for a team that went 25 - 9 last year with victories over the likes of Boise State, Oregon, Pacific, Hawaii, Sacramento State and Arizona State < https://santaclarabroncos.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/8413 Pretty lofty stats for a shooting/combo guard.

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Santa Clara lost their top returners to the portal. If I am not mistaken, Marya was someone Holsinger recruited. Friend of the Huards.

Lara Edmanson, 6′, G, Sr. (7.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) → Villanova

Marya Hudgins, 6′, G, Soph. (7.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg) → BYU

Tess Heal, 5’10, G, Soph. (19.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.9 apg) → Stanford

Malia Ruud off the board

WyomingGrizFan said:

Interestingly, I've considered her teammate, Kaia
Foster, also 6'2," at Chiawana High School in Pasco, Washington, a better player, but with less scouting and exposure. At least, over the past couple years. [Classof2025].

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Just curious...What are the comparing factors in your eval of Foster v Ruud?

BigSkyBreakdown said:

Just curious...What are the comparing factors in your eval of Foster v Ruud?

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Foster off the board now too WyoGriz.

WyomingGrizFan said:

I guess I missed out on the knee injury Foster sustained.

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Hmmn we have watched Ruud and Foster a lot and have never seen or heard of a serious knee injury with the Foster kid.

Some recent offers I’ve seen:
Paige Lofing, 2025 5’9 G, Montana:

Jane Rumpf, 2025 6’2 G/F, Colorado:

Elayna Boe, 2025 6’0 W, Minnesota:

WyomingGrizFan said:

LadyGriz - Lady Griz Recruiting: 2024+

Will be interesting to see where she will end up. If Binford likes her she will be aggressive in trying to get her just like with Chirrick, Erickson and potentially Gunlock With the recent verbal granted by Dylan Philip's younger sister, Jamison (which I can't blame MSU for as Jamison Philip...

egriz.com

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Well, even if Paige Lofing is but NAIA, not D1 or low major or mid major, as said back then, also said back then as well, does have a year to build her resumé; maybe she's done so far with but another year of hs to play. I wonder if the likes of Berlynn Carlson of Hillsboro, Oregon, and Riley Beck out of Meridian, Idaho, are on the LG radar. Just wondering.

WyomingGrizFan said:

Well, even if Paige Lofing is but NAIA, not D1 or low major or mid major, as said back then, also said back then as well, does have a year to build her resumé; maybe she's done so far with but another year of hs to play. I wonder if the likes of Berlynn Carlson of Hillsboro, Oregon, and Riley Beck out of Meridian, Idaho, are on the LG radar. Just wondering.

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Loving has offers from: Colorado State, Nevada, NAU, Portland, Boise State, Fresno State, Auburn, UCSD, Utah State, Dayton, Montana, and Southern Utah. She certainly appears to be more than NAIA material.

Carlson has some really good offers too.

OregonStateFan said:

Some recent offers I’ve seen:
Paige Lofing, 2025 5’9 G, Montana:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1810451074106663364

Jane Rumpf, 2025 6’2 G/F, Colorado:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Elayna Boe, 2025 6’0 W, Minnesota:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1813993058129867176

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I believe Huntley Project is still coached by former Lady Griz star Mandy Morales.

Finally got around to updating the first post with all of these listed interest/offers/visits. Let me know of any names to add/remove.

Hard to tell where the Lady Griz stand with some of the 2025s with offers. Shippen has a really impressive list of offers and has recently visited Columbia and UNLV (both of which have been really successful programs the past few years). Rumpf also has some nice offers and has taken recent visits to Pepperdine and Wyoming. Lofing also has some solid offers including one from the SEC. Will she have any interest in staying in Montana?

OregonStateFan said:

Finally got around to updating the first post with all of these listed interest/offers/visits. Let me know of any names to add/remove.

Hard to tell where the Lady Griz stand with some of the 2025s with offers. Shippen has a really impressive list of offers and has recently visited Columbia and UNLV (both of which have been really successful programs the past few years). Rumpf also has some nice offers and has taken recent visits to Pepperdine and Wyoming. Lofing also has some solid offers including one from the SEC. Will she have any interest in staying in Montana?

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At Hoops Club lunch, Coach said they are really going hard on Lofing. The good news is she hates MSU.

maroonandsilver said:

At Hoops Club lunch, Coach said they are really going hard on Lofing. The good news is she hates MSU.

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Considering Brian's brother runs and operates Meta Hoops and has some sway with the staff at Meta Hoops, we consider Lofing and Quinn as high probable LG recruits in the future.

Unless a HM or P5 school comes and offers something the LG don't (Location, conference, staff,, education, Early PT, etc). NIL could come into play with both as well...not many NIL grabbing deals coming from BSC programs. Lofing could jump at the SEC offer, but that offer may not be an offer by the time she makes her decision.

In our opinion the LG are the front runners until a bigger more interesting program jumps in the recruiting. A program like Utah may check all the boxes for high level recruits from MT....if Utah entertains either of these two time will tell.

Kenna Garza, a 6-2 forward from Pocatello, Idaho:

She's already taken official visits to Pepperdine and Grand Canyon.