"Why wouldn't I come here?": Australian phenom Lara Somfai on choosing Stanford over Geno Auriemma's UConn and Kara Lawson's Duke

Lara Somfai committed to the Stanford Cardinal in November last year. The four-star power forward finished high school as the No. 21 prospect in the Class of 2025.

On Monday, the @bouncepass on Instagram shared Somfai's conversation about her journey towards her goals, commitment and future.

The 6-foot-4 power forward received offers from top programs like Geno Auriemma’s UConn and Kara Lawson’s Duke. However, when Lara Somfai chose Stanford, she described her thought process as:

"When I thought about it, I was, like, genuinely, 'What could be a reason that I wouldn't come here?' I kind of reversed the question. 'Why wouldn't I come here?' I could not think of a single thing, there really wasn't anything that would stop me from going there."

Somfai had been recruited by nearly every top NCAA program, including UCLA, Tennessee, Arizona and North Carolina. But the reality of that attention didn’t hit until she made her official visits.

"When they would call me and send letters, I was like ‘They’re just playing around.’ Then I got to the visits … I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is real,’" Somfai said.

Academics played a key role in her choice.

“I'm a huge, huge nerd — I love school,” she said. “It was on top of the basketball … especially the academics.”

She also cited coach Kate Paye’s competitiveness as a factor:

“Coach Kate [Paye] is the epitome of a Stanford player and a Stanford coach; she’s super, super competitive, so I know every single day in practice, I'm going to be challenged — I'm really going to be challenged coming in and that's what I wanted."

Talking about her dreams for the future, Lara Somfai wants to play for the Opals:

“I really hope one day I can reach that level,” she said. “I know at the moment I'm nowhere close, but I would really love that opportunity and obviously for any Aussie girl it is a dream."

Lara also mentions that playing at an international level was one of her long-term goals, which she fulfilled.

Stanford signee Lara Somfai graduates from IMG Academy

On May 23, Lara Somfai graduated from IMG Academy. She shared photos from the ceremony in Bradenton, Florida, via Instagram.

Ranked third among power forwards by On3, Somfai led IMG to its first Chipotle National Championship in April. She's also a McDonald's All-American and three-time FIBA gold medalist for Australia.

In the 2024 FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup, the five-star player averaged 17.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.