CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Following illustrious careers in Carolina blue, both Maria Gakdeng and Alyssa Ustby have inked contracts to attend WNBA training camps to earn a shot at making a professional roster.
Gakdeng heads south to look to make an impact with the Atlanta Dream, while Ustby ventures out west to the Los Angeles Sparks.
The two are looking to become the second and third Tar Heels to earn their way onto an WNBA roster in the head coach Courtney Banghart era, joining Stephanie Watts in 2021. 17 letter-winners from Carolina have appeared in a WNBA game in the 28 years of the league.
Blossoming into one of the best post players in college basketball throughout her two seasons in Chapel Hill, Gakdeng’s efficiency lifted the Tar Heels to new heights. Shooting at a 60.5% clip from the field as a Tar Heel, Gakdeng concluded her career with one of the best field goal percentages in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference by ranking ninth overall at 59.2%.
This past season, Gakdeng averaged 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as she was named All-ACC second team.
Ustby, a five-year letter-winner for Carolina, leaves the Tar Heels with her fingerprints all over the program. Earning the top spot as the program’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,269 career boards, she also wrapped her career ranked No. 3 all-time in the ACC.
Skip Ad
Making her mark in the Carolina record book, she also concluded her career ranked No. 7 in rebounding average with 8.5 boards per game, No. 8 in blocked shots with 140 rejections and No. 10 in assists with 403.
Nearly averaging a double-double this past season with 10.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, Ustby was named All-ACC first team for the second time in her career.
Training camps for the 2025 WNBA season open April 27, with the official start to the regular season beginning on May 16.
