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3397char

3397char

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Maria Gakdeng is on a heater for South Sudan as they are on a Cinderella run at FIBA’s African championships!

Quarterfinal win over Egypt: 19 pts(8 of 15), 24 rbs (!), 2 blk​
Semifinal win over Uganda:12 pts (6 of 8), 13 rbs, 2 blk​
​
Story here:

www.fiba.basketball

Uganda vs South Sudan - Quarter-Finals - FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2025 | FIBA Basketball

Uganda vs South Sudan - Browse boxscore, game information & live stats, team rosters, photos and video highlights
www.fiba.basketball www.fiba.basketball

check out her press conference here:


her FIBA profile here:
www.fiba.basketball

Maria Teresa Gakdeng - South Sudan - Player Profile - FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2025 | FIBA Basketball

All detailed statistics, points, assists and rebounds of Gakdeng - South Sudan from FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2025
www.fiba.basketball www.fiba.basketball

IMG_0754.jpeg

IMG_0753.jpegIMG_0752.jpeg
they play again vs Mozambique in the semis at 8AM today (Friday 8/1)

looks like you can watch the tourney and replays for 5 bucks here:
www.courtside1891.basketball

Watch Courtside 1891 Live Stream Online | DAZN GB

Watch Courtside 1891 live stream online & on-demand on DAZN GB, in HD and on any device. Sign up today.
www.courtside1891.basketball www.courtside1891.basketball
 
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3397char

3397char

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www.fiba.basketball

Maria Teresa Gakdeng - South Sudan - Player Profile - FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2025 | FIBA Basketball

All detailed statistics, points, assists and rebounds of Gakdeng - South Sudan from FIBA Women's AfroBasket 2025
www.fiba.basketball www.fiba.basketball

South Sudan wins bronze in the FIBA Afrobasket championship, a tourney where they had never won a game Before this year.

and Gakdeng is the leading rebounder in the tourney and 2nd most important player on her team, a team she seems to have joined for the first time 2 weeks ago.

so cool
 
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3397char

3397char

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Maria also lead the tourney in blocks and blocks per game!
 
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J

Jriv23

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Jul 31, 2025
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Thanks for sharing and posting. From the side her husband looks a little bit like Larry Bird. He looks to be pretty tall too. Congratulations to the both of them.
 
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Nate1972

Nate1972

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Aug 1, 2025
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𝟤𝟨 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪 𝘦 𝟣𝟤 𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘻𝘪
 
3397char

3397char

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6string said:
I understood “MVP” and that was it. Of course that’s all that matters.
Click to expand...
Translation:
"The MVP of the game is Alyssa Ustby. .

With a double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds, Alyssa Ustby earned the Panthers MVP title in the match against Battipaglia."

Here league stats and rank:
Points
19.6 #1
Rebounds
9.0 #3
assists
1.6 #41
Steals
1.8 #12

Pretty high in turnovers at 3 per game.
 
Last edited:
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J

Jriv23

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It depends on what level / division/ league/ and country they are playing in. Russia pays their players very well. I remember D.T got paid 1 million when she played for their top league. I know a lot of WNBA players play for the top leagues in the off season and they get paid a lot. Russia is just one that I can think of they paid them at least 6 figures a season. I think the league that our players are playing would probably be in the middle and low high tier. Australia pays very well too.
 
3397char

3397char

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they get paid a lot less than you may think. Those 6-figure salaries are for clear WNBA level players, and the 500K{ are onlyy the top 5-10 WNBA All-stars.

Here is an example of a player who is just barely above`Donarski and Ustby, but at the same time clearly better:

Chelsea Hopkins went undrafted in 2013, despite receiving honorable All-America recognition and helping San Diego State win a school-record 27 games. That September, the 5-foot-8 guard saw action in four WNBA contests — all in a nine-day span — with the San Antonio Silver Stars. Upon the W season’s conclusion, she joined Bnot Herzliya in Israel. She made $2,700 a month.

Hopkins has now played professionally in Israel for a decade. Having won the Israeli league MVP in 2017 and a league championship in 2018, she says her salary peaked at around $12,000 a month — a low five-figure monthly contract is “pretty standard for a WNBA-like player at this point in time,” she adds.

from this article:
www.nytimes.com

What do WNBA players make overseas? Not as much as you’ve heard

Can the WNBA find new ways to keep players home in the offseason instead of going abroad, where players' salaries have taken a recent hit?
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com


so I would be surprised if our recent grads are making more than $50K season As rookies.
 
J

Jriv23

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You forget 3397 their room and board expenses, eating expenses are paid for; therefore, they can bank up their money that they make. I had a son who played overseas and he told me so. As I stated before it depends on what country they are playing for. My son told me this who played overseas. Also, He has friends playing over there now both male and female.
 
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3397char

3397char

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Doing the little things: Ustby creates all 4 of these wide open shots.



She leads her team and league in points (18.7, top scorer in Italy Serie A1), FG%, rebounds (9.6, 2nd in Serie A1), steals (1.7) and 2nd in assists (3.3) and blocks (5th in Serie A1).

The team (Panthers Roseto) however is not doing great: 5-9 makes them 8th out of 11 teams. They have her playing the 2 & 3 and her 3pt shooting is not doing well.
 
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3397char

3397char

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👀 Gakdeng had a 32 point game on 14 of 16 shooting for her team TARR KSC Szekszárd


Szekszárd is 13-4 in their conference, good for 4th place, and they are 3-3 in Euro Cup which is kind of like a concurrent Premier League.

Gakdeng is averaging 13.4 PPG and 8.2 RPG with a pretty eye popping 69% on FGs
 
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kjcooper

kjcooper

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Nov 26, 2009
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Some believe, and state certain thoughts about CB as a coach, but most will have to admit that MG and Ustby improved during there tenue at Carolina. Still believe that most of the young players on this team will continue to improve over the course of their career at UNC. Just have to be patience is my belief.
 
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T

tarboy

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Jul 7, 2025
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Exactly KJ was very true for Utsby, Maria and Lexi. See Ciera and Indya and others improving now. Injuries have hurt some players
but that is uncontrollable. I think next season we have her greatest team.
 
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3397char

3397char

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no idea how to confirm this is legit, buyer beware...Hodgson is selling some of her gear

 
J

Jriv23

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Wow, Does anyone know the reason why she would want to sell her gear? This is a surprise. Most student athletes try to hold on to their gear after playing sports.
 
J

Jriv23

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AU time is up. She graduated. I am sure a lot of teams and fans would say the same thing about having players who have graduated to come back and play. AU played for five years. The bottom line is very simple. Louisville players just wanted it more than our players. You cannot teach heart, effort, desire. That has come from each player playing. Hats off to Louisville.
 
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