Maria Gakdeng
_01.jpg) Gakdeng with North Carolina in 2024 | |
| No. 5 – North Carolina Tar Heels | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.) New Hope Academy (Hyattsville, Maryland) |
| College | Boston College (2021–2023) North Carolina (2023–present) |
Maria Gakdeng is an American college basketball player for the North Carolina Tar Heels of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). She previously played for the Boston College Eagles.
Early life and high school career
[edit]Gakdeng was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to South Sudansese parents who fled the civil war in 1999. Her family moved to Lanham, Maryland in 2011.[1][2] She attended Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., and New Hope Academy in Hyattsville, Maryland, where she was named second-team All-WCAC in her senior season.[3]
College career
[edit]Boston College Eagles
[edit]Gakdeng debuted for the Boston College Eagles on November 9, 2021, starting in an 86–60 win against Harvard. On January 6, 2022, she scored a season-high 21 points in a 95–71 win against Syracuse. She scored 16 points and made a season-high 6 blocks in a 67–51 win against Duke on February 24. She appeared in all 33 games (32 starts) in her freshman season, finishing with a 8.9 points per game, grabbing a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game, and setting a program single-season record with 73 blocks.[1][3]
Gakdeng set a new career high with 22 points in a 73–63 win against Wake Forest on February 26, 2023. She finished her sophomore season with team bests in cumulative scoring, rebounding, and blocking as she averaged 11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assist per game to go with 58 total blocks.[3] After her sophomore season, she entered the NCAA transfer portal to join a team with championship potential, choosing North Carolina over other ACC options in Louisville and Notre Dame.[2]
North Carolina Tar Heels
[edit]Gakdeng made her North Carolina debut on November 8, 2023, scoring 13 points in a 102–49 season-opening win against Gardner–Webb. She recorded her first double-double for North Carolina with 14 points and 13 rebounds in a 76–64 loss to UConn on December 10. She scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 59–56 win against Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, before falling to eventual champions South Carolina in the second round. She averaged 9.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in her junior season.[4][5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Biajo, Nabeel (December 17, 2022). "South Sudanese-American Dreams of WNBA Stardom". VOA Africa. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ a b Bynum, R.L. (October 4, 2023). "Banghart happily succeeded in second recruitment of tenacious center Gakdeng". Tar Heel Tribune. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Maria Gakdeng". Boston College Eagles. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ "Maria Gakdeng". North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Delahanty, Nick (October 27, 2024). "Maria Gakdeng set to protect the rim once again for the UNC women's basketball team". Keeping It Heel. Retrieved January 3, 2025.