WBB Recruiting: the Spain to Madison pipeline continues to flow
Ines García Monje is the Badgers first commit in the 2025 class.
College basketball recruiting is so different from football. In hoops a ton of the decisions come down to which AAU shoe circuit (Nike, Adidas, UA) the player is on and whether or not the school is also sponsored by that brand. There isn’t really an equivalent in high school football. There is also the fact that basketball, unlike football, is played all over the world and international prospects are an extremely viable way to build your roster.
Marisa Moseley and the Wisconsin Badgers have signed a player from Spain in each of their last two classes (class of ‘23 wing Ana Guillen, since transferred to Yale, and ‘24 PG Alba Martín Mesa) and on Monday news broke that they are starting off their 2025 class with another Spaniard.
Ines García Monje announced on Instagram that she is committing to Moseley and the Badgers.
Ines García Monje Fast Facts
Height: 6-foot-2
Position: power forward
Class: 2025
Rec Specs: YES
Hometown: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
Club Team: Segle XXI (Barcelona, Spain) in Spain-LF2
Highlights: you can see some in this tweet that I can’t embed in the post because Elon Musk is a dipshit.
Ines García Monje Stats (2024 U17 World Cup)
21.1 minutes per game (seven games)
10.0 points per game
6.7 rebounds per game (2.3 off. rebounds per game)
2.0 assists per game
1.3 steals per game
0.7 blocks per game
0.9 turnovers per game
FG: 30-of-62, 48.4%
3P: 3-of-18, 16.7%
FT: 7-of-15, 46.7%
Spain earned the bronze medal, behind Canada and the USA, with a record of 6-1. García Monje was second on the team in PPG, RPG, and efficiency for the tournament and also finished third on the team in FG%. She was named to the All-Tournament Second Team.
Ines García Monje Stats (2023-24 Spain-LF2 Season)
17.9 minutes per game (22 games)
6.6 points per game
6.2 rebounds per game (2.5 off. rebounds per game)
0.8 assists per game
1.0 steals per game
0.2 blocks per game
1.3 turnovers per game
FG: 51-of-132, 38.6%
3P: 19-of-68, 27.9%
FT: 25-of-56, 44.6%
I couldn’t find any stats for the event, but García Monje also represented Spain in the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup 2024 back in August and helped the team to the quarterfinals (sixth best out of 18 teams) where they lost to the eventual champs, the United States of America.
It’s certainly worth noting that García Monje, like Martín Mesa, was helped in her journey from Europe to America by Elite Sports Academy, a group in Spain that has helped dozens of players secure college basketball spots. It would certainly appear that Moseley has made inroads in Spain and it is paying off with new players.
Scouting Report
As has been the case with all of the international prospects I’ve written up, highlights are few and far between but let’s try and suss out some details of García Monje’s game anyways.
First up, García Monje doesn’t turn 17 until next week and so, even at 6-foot-2 already, she might not be done growing. If she does grow another inch or two before arriving in Madison her projected path may change, but for our purposes let’s say she shows up and is 6-foot-2.
The highlights I saw of her game showed a player that isn’t afraid to put the ball on the floor and push the pace after a turnover. I like that aggression and it would fit in nicely if Moseley’s team starts playing faster. She doesn’t turn the ball over much either, which is always something the Badgers struggle with.
Her rebounding numbers are nice and she is extremely active on the offensive glass. On defense she appears to be solid, but her numbers don’t jump off the page. The two blocked shots that are on her highlights show her positioning her body well, so as not to foul, and blocking the ball in a restrained manner so her team can retain possession.
This is definitely something that can improve but…her shooting isn’t a strength currently. Her three-point and free throw numbers are dreadful and her form doesn’t look smooth or repeatable at all. Now, she CAN finish well around the rim and will do most of her damage down there unless she is able to completely rebuild her jumper.
I like that she isn’t afraid to let it fly from deep but I’d wager there is almost always a better shot for her team unless the shot clock is below two seconds. I would definitely like to see more tape of her before issuing a final verdict, but I do like the potential she has and if (a big if) the shooting improves even a little she should be a solid multi-year starter for Wisconsin.