The momentum Arizona's women's basketball program has built in recent years appears to be continuing into the future. Adia Barnes and her program added the biggest commitment from a high school prospect in her time as head coach Monday as Minnesota-based post Maya Nnjai announced her decision.
"I want to go to a school that can help fulfill my aspirations of being a doctor, and play for a coach who looks like me," Nnaji said in her commitment announcement video. "I want to blaze my own trail and win championships with a program that knows what it takes to get there. This school has been watching and supporting me from the sidelines since day one. They saw the spark in me at an early age, and now they're like family.
"With that being said, next year I'll be attending the University of Arizona."
The Hopkins High School standout forward, who is rated as a five-star prospect and No. 7 overall in the 2022 HoopGurlz rankings, picked the Wildcats over opportunities from programs across the country. Her list included programs in the Pac-12 such as Stanford, Oregon and UCLA in addition to schools such as Louisville, South Carolina, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Illinois and others.
Nnaji is the younger sister of former UA men's basketball power forward Zeke Nnaji, who is now in the NBA playing with the Denver Nuggest after playing one season in Tucson. He won the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award during his time with the Wildcats.
Barnes offered Nnaji before the 2018 season and has prioritized the 6-foot-4 forward over the course of her high school career.
Arizona's 2022 recruiting class now features two of the top-20 prospects in the class as Nnaji joins Florida point guard Kailyn Gilbert as the second member of the group.
Like her older brother, Nnaji has had a successful high school career at Hopkins having won two state championships while also being named the Metro Player of the Year this season by the Star Tribune. Zeke won the award on the boys' side in 2019.
Nnaji averaged over 20 points in her junior season on an undefeated team.
Barnes had the Wildcats one basket away from a national title this season, and the team is already well on its way to reloading having added three impact transfers for the upcoming season. The 2022 class will be the first one built after UA's run in the NCAA Tournament, however, and so far it is shaping up to be the best in program history after adding Nnaji's commitment Monday.
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