Maria Gakdeng

Photo by: Greg Fiume

Position:
F/C
Height:
6-3
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Lanham, Md.
High School:
New Hope Academy
Prev School:
Boston College

2024-25: All-ACC Second Team … Ends her career ranked No. 9 in the ACC in career field goal percentage, shooting 59.2% from the field … Shot 58.7% from the field this season to finish No. 3 in a single-season at UNC … Played and started in 33 games, missing four due to injury … Led Carolina with a field goal percentage of 58.7% … Five 20-point performances, all against ACC foes … Scored a career-high 25 points against Virginia, shooting 9-of-10 from the field … Four double-doubles … Eight games with double-figures in rebounds … Tied a career-high with 16 rebounds in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinal against Florida State … Led the Tar Heels with 37 blocks, tallying a season-high three in three games … Recorded a career-high five assists against Virginia … Snagged a career-high four steals in the win at SMU … Ranked sixth among ACC players in conference games with 8.06 rebounds per outing … No. 2 in conference action shooting 59.9% from the field … Hauled in 3.0 offensive rebounds per game to rank sixth in the ACC … Averaged 10.8, 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per contest … Named to the Lisa Leslie Preseason Watch List … Named a team-captain prior to the season ... All-ACC Academic Team.

2023-24: Named to the 2023-24 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List … Played in all 33 games for UNC, starting 32 … Averaged 9.2 points and 5.9 rebounds … Led UNC in blocks with 1.55 per game, which ranked third in the ACC … Scored 13 points (5-6 FG) in 15 minutes of play in her Tar Heel debut vs. Gardner-Webb on Nov. 9 … Tied her career high with 22 points against FGCU in Florida on Nov. 26. She was a perfect 8-8 from the field and 6-6 from the foul line, and had a team-best nine rebounds … Made her first four shots in the following game (against South Carolina on 11/30) to stretch her string of makes to 12 before she missed one late in the loss to the Gamecocks … Turned in her first double-double as a Tar Heel in the Hall of Fame Showcase game against UConn, leading UNC in both points (14) and rebounds (13) … Hit her career high again with 22 points in the win over No. 25 Syracuse. She shot 9-12 from the field and 4-6 from the foul line … Finished with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) in her return to Boston College on Feb. 29 … In her first NCAA Tournament game, led UNC with 17 points and grabbed 10 boards in just under 22 minutes of playing time in the win over Michigan State

At Boston College: Two-year starter ... As a sophomore in 2022-23, averaged 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting .578 from the floor ... That shooting percentage would have ranked second in the ACC, but she fell just shy of the minimum five makes per game required for inclusion ... Ranked third in third in the ACC in blocks (1.76 per game), 11th in rebounding and 20th in scoring ... As a freshman in 2021-22, named to the ACC's All-Freshman Team and was the league's Freshman of the Week five times ... Averaged 2.21 blocks per game, first nationally among freshmen and 15th in the nation

At New Hope Academy: McDonald’s All-America Game nominee as a senior ... Ranked 76th overall and 18th at her position as a senior … Second-team all-conference as a senior

Gakdeng says: "I chose Carolina to be a part of something special. Not only did the coaches, players, and environment feel like home, but I would also be surrounded by a winning culture and a group that wants to see one another at their best on and off the court."