Elyse Ngenda, one of the top prospects in New England and a nationally-ranked combo guard, announced her commitment to Stanford on Monday.
The Bedford, N.H., native is No. 95 in the ESPN Class of 2026 rankings. She chose the Cardinal from a top-five finalist list of academic and basketball strongholds that included Columbia, Harvard, Northwestern and Princeton.
Stanford offered Ngenda towards the end of this past AAU season, and she quickly felt coach Kate Paye and the staff made her a priority. It's common for prospects to schedule phone calls with coaches during the recruiting process, but Paye would call Ngenda frequently and randomly, just to check in. She often chatted with Ngenda's mom for more than an hour at a time as their own relationship grew. Paye also flew across the country to make a home visit, which meant a lot to Ngenda.
"To me that showed, dang, she actually does care about me as a person," Ngenda told New England Basketball Journal. "She was able to see what I was like at school and see my personality at a place like New Hampton, where I call my home, so that was really important to me as well."
PREMIER PROSPECT: Here's why Ngenda ranks among the best in New England
