Stanford Exodus Officially Begins as Former Starter Lands with TCU

The first of the six players to enter the transfer portal has found a new home

Feb 10, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; The Stanford Cardinal logo at center court before the game between the Stanford Cardinal and the USC Trojans at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The transfer portal just opened, but the Stanford Cardinal are already experiencing a mass exodus, with a number of the team's starters from this past season announcing their intentions to enter the portal.

Star forward Lara Somfai was one of the first Stanford players to put their name into the portal, which was a signal of the start of a fully new era of Stanford women's basketball. On Wednesday, April 8, Somfai committed to a new program for next season, landing with the TCU Horned Frogs.

Somfai, who averaged 10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds as a freshman for the Cardinal this season, was expected to become the face of the program in the era of head coach Kate Paye. But a disappointing campaign for the program, one that led to the Cardinal missing the NCAA tournament for the second straight season, saw several players look to make a change.

Somfai, a former five-star recruit, is one of those players looking to make a change and set themselves up for the future.

Somfai lands at TCU

TCU, making the Elite Eight for the second straight season, have ascended drastically since head coach Mark Campbell took over ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, going from a program that hadn't had a winning season since 2019-20 to a perennial national title contender.

And Somfai, who brings size and athleticism, figures to be a good fit in the Horned Frogs' system and will be a key contributor for them next season. After committing to TCU, Somfai explained why she chose to join the Horned Frogs, even giving a subtle jab to her former program at Stanford.

"I think mainly it was the coaching staff," Somfai told On3's Talia Goodman on why she chose TCU. "They are absolutely incredible. The way they view basketball is what first caught my attention."

Somfai is one of six Stanford players who entered the portal this offseason, along with Courtney Ogden, Harper Peterson, Nunu Agara, Mary Ashley Stevenson and Carly Amborn.

Once a perennial top-25 program, making the NCAA tournament every year for nearly 40 years under legendary head coach Tara VanDerveer—and winning three national titles in the process—the Cardinal have regressed drastically under Paye and have struggled to figure out an identity in the ACC.

Entering a big season, the Cardinal have a lot of work to do to salvage their legacy. But given the pedigree of Stanford basketball and what is has been in the past, the expectation is that the Cardinal will put together a roster that will be able to contend next season, and make a run at March Madness.

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