By R.L. Bynum
Alyssa Ustby and Maria Gakdeng signed fWNBA contracts on Tuesday, one day after the WNBA draft.
Ustby, finished an outstanding five-year career at North Carolina as the program’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,251, which is third on the all-time ACC list, signed a free agent deal with the Los Angeles Sparks. Gakdeng, who averaged 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as she was named All-ACC second team, signed a training-camp contract with the Atlanta Dream.
The Sparks won the last of their three WNBA titles in 2016, haven’t made the playoffs since 2020 and finished 8–20 last season.
Los Angeles picked Alabama guard Sarah Ashlee Barker in the first round as the ninth overall pick of Monday’s WNBA draft and South Carolina guard Sania Feagin in the second round as the 20th overall pick. In the third round, the Sparks made Notre Dame forward Liatu King the 28th overall selection.
The Sparks’ big offseason acquisition was point guard Kelsey Plum, whom they acquired from the Las Vegas Aces in a three-team trade.
The Sparks drafted Carolina’s Stephanie Watts in the first round of the 2021 draft as the 10th overall pick but traded her before the season to the Chicago Sky, where she played briefly.
Atlanta selected South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao in the second round as the 14th overall pick and Ohio State forward Taylor Theirry in the third round as the 49th overall pick.
The Dream, which was a 2008 expansion franchise, has won three conference titles but has lost in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons.
Ustby earned All-ACC first-team honors last season when she averaged 10.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists to lead the Tar Heels to a Sweet 16 appearance and a 29–8 record. She led the ACC with 7.64 defensive rebounds per league game.
Ustby is the only player in program history with a triple-double, pulling that off on Jan. 4, 2024, in a 75–71 home victory over Syracuse with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.
She scored at least 20 points nine times in her career, topped by her 25 points on Feb. 18, 2024, when she also had 10 rebounds in a 58–58 win at Wake Forest.
Gakdeng, who transferred before her junior season from Boston College and was born in Atlanta, became one of the best post players in the country throughout her two seasons in Chapel Hill. She shot 60.5% from the floor over her two seasons and was ninth in the ACC last season at 59.2%.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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