Maria Gakdeng

Maria Gakdeng
	Gakdeng with North Carolina in 2024
Greensboro Groove
Position	Center
League	UpShot League
Personal information
Born	June 9, 2003 (age 23); 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 (2023–2025);
WNBA draft	2025: undrafted
Career highlights
	Second-team All-ACC (2025); ACC All-Freshman Team (2022);
	Stats at Basketball Reference
AfroBasket

Maria Gakdeng (born June 9, 2003) is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player for KSC Szekszárd of the Hungarian A Division. She played college basketball for Boston College Eagles and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Early life and high school career

Gakdeng was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to South Sudanese 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

Boston College Eagles

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

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]

On March 2, 2025, Gakdeng set a new career high with 25 points in a 78–75 loss to Virginia.^[4] She helped North Carolina earn a three seed in the NCAA tournament, hosting tournament games at home for the first time in ten years, and they reached the third round.^[6] Gakdeng finished her senior season averaging 10.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game, earning second-team All-ACC honors.^[4]

Professional career

On April 15, 2025, the day after going unselected in the 2025 WNBA draft, Gakdeng received an invitation to training camp with the Atlanta Dream.^[7] On May 8, she was waived by the Dream.^[8]

On June 28, 2025, it was announced that Gakdeng had signed with Hungarian club KSC Szekszárd.^[9]

On May 11, 2026, it was announced that Gakdeng had join the Greensboro Groove of the UpShot League for their inaugural season.^[10]

National team career

Gakdeng was named to the South Sudan national team for the 2025 Women's Afrobasket.^[9]

Career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
TO	Turnovers per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
Bold	Career best	°	League leader

College


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2021–22	Boston College	33	32	25.5	58.3	0.0	57.6	6.3	0.8	0.8	2.2	2.5	8.9
2022–23	Boston College	33	33	29.6	57.8	0.0	53.8	6.5	1.3	0.7	1.8	2.9	11.3
2023–24	UNC	33	32	23.9	62.6	0.0	62.0	5.9	0.5	0.5	1.5	1.5	9.2
2024–25	UNC	33	33	25.4	58.7	0.0	65.2	7.6	0.8	0.8	1.1	1.7	10.8
Career		132	130	26.1	59.2	0.0	59.6	6.6	0.9	0.7	1.7	2.1	10.1
Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.^[11]

References

1 2 Biajo, Nabeel (December 17, 2022). "South Sudanese-American Dreams of WNBA Stardom". VOA Africa. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
1 2 Bynum, R.L. (October 4, 2023). "Banghart happily succeeded in second recruitment of tenacious center Gakdeng". Tar Heel Tribune. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
1 2 3 "Maria Gakdeng". Boston College Eagles. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
1 2 3 "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.
↑ Holloway, Jeremiah (May 16, 2025). "UNC WBB Earns No. 3 Seed, Hosting For First Time In 10 Years". 247Sports. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
↑ The Fam [@thefamsports]; (April 15, 2025). "Congratulations to @mariiaa.teresa on inking a training camp deal with @atlantadream for the 2025 WNBA season 🏀🔥". Retrieved April 15, 2025 – via Instagram.
↑ Atlanta Dream (May 8, 2025). "The Atlanta Dream have waived forward Maria Gakdeng and guard Emani Jefferson". Twitter. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
1 2 "Gakdeng signs with Hungary team, to be part of South Sudanese basketball history". Tar Heel Tribune. July 2, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
↑ Pinarski, Alexia (May 11, 2026). "Greensboro Groove Announces Inaugural Team Roster Ahead of Historic Opening Season". GrooveUpshot.com. Greensboro Groove. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
↑ "Maria Gakdeng College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 2, 2025.

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bio

[V22-1] 1 2 Biajo, Nabeel (December 17, 2022). "South Sudanese-American Dreams of WNBA Stardom". VOA Africa. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[TH23-2] 1 2 Bynum, R.L. (October 4, 2023). "Banghart happily succeeded in second recruitment of tenacious center Gakdeng". Tar Heel Tribune. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[BC-3] 1 2 3 "Maria Gakdeng". Boston College Eagles. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[UNC-4] 1 2 3 "Maria Gakdeng". North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved January 3, 2025.

[5] 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.

[6] Holloway, Jeremiah (May 16, 2025). "UNC WBB Earns No. 3 Seed, Hosting For First Time In 10 Years". 247Sports. Retrieved April 14, 2025.

[7] The Fam [@thefamsports]; (April 15, 2025). "Congratulations to @mariiaa.teresa on inking a training camp deal with @atlantadream for the 2025 WNBA season 🏀🔥". Retrieved April 15, 2025 – via Instagram.

[8] Atlanta Dream (May 8, 2025). "The Atlanta Dream have waived forward Maria Gakdeng and guard Emani Jefferson". Twitter. Retrieved May 9, 2025.

[T25-9] 1 2 "Gakdeng signs with Hungary team, to be part of South Sudanese basketball history". Tar Heel Tribune. July 2, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.

[10] Pinarski, Alexia (May 11, 2026). "Greensboro Groove Announces Inaugural Team Roster Ahead of Historic Opening Season". GrooveUpshot.com. Greensboro Groove. Retrieved May 12, 2026.

[11] "Maria Gakdeng College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 2, 2025.

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