USF WBB Goes back to back in draft

[CousinRicky]

Two picks in the Top 21 is very impressive. 

[Dave_Glaser]

24 minutes ago, CousinRicky said:

Two picks in the Top 21 is very impressive. 

Top 41, right? Round 2?

[Dave_Glaser]

1 minute ago, Dave_Glaser said:

Top 41, right? Round 2?

My bad, I see it’s overall. Small draft. Few teams.

[E.T.]

Standout USF duo drafted back-to-back in WNBA draft

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Elena Tsineke and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu were selected.

 

[GoBulls84]

11 hours ago, Outlaw said:

Congratulations! I guess we are  a WBB school .

Where have you been? We've BEEN a women's basketball school. They're the flagship program on campus

[Outlaw]

4 minutes ago, GoBulls84 said:

Where have you been? We've BEEN a women's basketball school. They're the flagship program on campus

We were once known for football on a national stage and Judy fired Jim. The curse if Jim Leavitt  lives on at the Indian burial grounds. 

[Brad]

USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com

 

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Click here for Elena Tsineke and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu WNBA Draft reaction video.

 

Former USF Standouts Elena Tsineke and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu Go Back-To-Back in the 2023 WNBA Draft; Taken by Washington and Seattle in The Second Round

The senior duo went with the 20^th and 21^st picks overall and are the first South Florida players taken in the WNBA Draft since Kitija Laksa in 2020 and the seventh and eighth in program history.  

 

TAMPA (April 10, 2023) – Former University of South Florida women’s basketball standouts Elena Tsineke and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu became the seventh and eighth players in program history to be selected in the WNBA Draft, and the sixth and seventh under Head Coach Jose Fernandez, when they heard their names called on Monday night. Tsineke was chosen by the Washington Mystics in the second round with the 20^th overall pick and, seconds later, Fankam Mendjiadeu went with the 21^st overall pick to the Seattle Storm. 

 

"I am so grateful for this opportunity," said Tsineke. "(It’s) A dream come true. I am so proud and happy for my teammate, Dulcy. We have worked so hard for this. We both shared the same vision throughout the year. All Glory to God!"

 

“I am feeling overwhelmed right now and it hasn’t dawned on me yet but I feel good,” said Fankam Mendjiadeu. “All the hard work starts now. I am really grateful for the opportunity but I know that everything starts now. I have to go and fight and battle and earn my place.”

 

Tsineke and Fankam Mendjiadeu are the first South Florida players taken in the WNBA Draft since Kitija Laksa was chosen in the first round, 11^th overall, also by Seattle, in 2020.

 

A guard from Thessaloniki, Greece, Tsineke finished the season leading South Florida and was first in The American in scoring, averaging 17.9 points per game. She poured in double figures in 31 of the 33 games she played in, including the last nine-straight and 29 of the last 30 outings to end the season. She had 20 points in her collegiate finale against top-seeded and defending national champion South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on March 19.

 

Tsineke finished the year shooting 45.2 percent from the field, including 38.3 percent from behind the arc, and is hitting 79.4 percent of her shots from the charity stripe. She has shot 50 percent or better from the field 16 times.

 

A forward from Nkongsamba, Cameroon, Fankam Mendjiadeu was the most dominating post player in The American, and one the most dominating in the nation, all season. She ended the 2022-23 campaign averaging 16.5 points per game, second on the team and third in the conference, and a conference-best 12.3 rebounds per outing, both career-highs. Her total rebounds (418) are tops in the conference and third in the nation while her rebounds per game average are first in The American and fifth in the nation. In addition, she is fourth in the nation in double-doubles with 24.

 

During the NCAA Tournament, Fankam Mendjiadeu became South Florida’s single-season rebounding leader against Marquette and the single-season leader in The American against South Carolina.

 

On the year, Fankam Mendjiadeu shot 58.6 percent from the field and 72.0 percent from the free-throw line. She scored in double figures in 30 of 34 games this season and grabbed double-digit boards 26 times. Fankam Mendjiadeu had a career-high 34-point performance against then No. 3/4 Ohio State on Dec. 20 in the San Diego Invitational to go along with 17 rebounds. Earlier in the season she hauled down a career-best 21 rebounds against Georgia Tech on Nov. 25, en route to a tournament record 49 boards in three games at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla. She also had 11 rebounds against then No. 22/23 Michigan on Nov. 26 and 17 against No. 23 Villanova on Nov. 27.

 

Both Tsineke and Fankam Mendjiadeu were named the American Athletic Conference Co-Players of the Year and were the only unanimous selections to The American All-Conference First Team. In addition, the duo was recently named Honorable Mention Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-Americans.

 

USF's All-Time WNBA Draft Selections

2023 – Elena Tsineke, Washington Mystics, Second Round (20^th Overall)

2023 – Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, Seattle Storm, Second Round (21^st Overall)

2020 – Kitija Laksa, Seattle Storm, First Round (11^th overall)

2016 – Courtney Williams, Phoenix Mercury, First Round (8^th overall)

2014 – Inga Orekhova, Atlanta Dream, Second Round (18^th overall)

2013 – Andrea Smith, Connecticut Sun, Third Round (35^th overall)

2007 – Jessica Dickson, Sacramento Monarchs, Second Round (21^st overall)

1997 – Wanda Guyton, Houston Comets, Elite First Round (5^th overall)

[CousinRicky]

2 hours ago, Outlaw said:

We were once known for football on a national stage and Judy fired Jim. The curse if Jim Leavitt  lives on at the Indian burial grounds. 

Get it all in now. Once you're taking care of you're wife you'll have much less time for this stuff. Hoping the best for her.

[St.PeteSlim89]

23 hours ago, CousinRicky said:

They were not. The Selection show, like most stuff on that channel, was just all talking points. I recorded it and FFd through until I saw their names pop up.  Saw the names on the screen, rewinded it to see the announcement and, NADA. 

I saw something on social media today where it looked like that Dulcy was at the Muma Center celebrating. I’m obviously opinionated, but I think that ESPN does not give due credit to USF at times.

Kudos to Dulcy and Elena on this achievement. Congrats to CJF and USF WBB also!  
 

Go Bulls

[CousinRicky]

30 minutes ago, St.PeteSlim89 said:

I saw something on social media today where it looked like that Dulcy was at the Muma Center celebrating. I’m obviously opinionated, but I think that ESPN does not give due credit to USF at times.

Kudos to Dulcy and Elena on this achievement. Congrats to CJF and USF WBB also!  
 

Go Bulls

We're not P5 so doesn't fit their narrative. Not too many schools had 2 players go in the Top 21. Probably So. Carolina, UConn and a couple of others but just guessing.