Washington adds top 100 women’s basketball recruit Nina Cain

Washington secured their second top 100 recruit in women’s basketball on Monday with the addition of Sacramento forward Nina Cain.

It’s been a great three months for Washington’s women’s basketball program.

The Huskies added five-star forward Brynn McGaughy in May, then added two Olympic medals in Paris thanks to alums Kelsey Plum and Sami Whitcomb. To cap that run, coach Tina Langley’s program added its second 2025 recruit on Monday, earning a commitment from four-star wing Nina Cain out of Sacramento, California.

Cain visited Montlake on August 9, the day Plum and Whitcomb faced off in the Olympic semifinal between the US and Australia, and then canceled her remaining scheduled visits, committing to Washington over Cal, Arizona, and Northwestern.

A 6-foot-1 forward, Cain will form a formidable frontcourt duo with McGaughy, who stands at 6-foot-2 and is expected to play on the wing for the Huskies as well. The McClatchy High School star averaged 23.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game on over 50 percent shooting as a junior last season.

Cain and McGaughy will also enter the program at a fortuitous time, as the Huskies are set to lose three forwards after the 2024-25 season. Yale transfer Brenna McDonald, Eastern Michigan transfer Tayra Eke, and returning scoring leader Dalayah Daniels are all set to graduate.

Cain is also the niece of Denver Broncos defensive line coach Jamar Cain, who was at Arizona State in 2019, while Huskies running backs coach Scottie Graham was an associate athletic director.