Courtesy of USF
By Vanessa Wenzl
Elena Tsineke and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, former University of South Florida women’s basketball standouts, were both selected in the WNBA Draft on April 10.
They are the first players from USF to be selected in the draft since 2020, making it the seventh and eighth pick in the women’s basketball program’s history.
Tsineke and Fankam Mendjiadeu were 20th and 21st selected overall picks in the draft.
Tsineke, a senior guard from Thessaloniki, Greece, averaged 17.9 points a game and was chosen for the Washington Mystics.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity,” Tsineke said. “[It’s] a dream come true.”
On March 19, Tsinkeke had 20 points in her final collegiate game in the NCAA Tournament Second Round against South Carolina.
“I am so proud and happy for my teammate, Dulcy,” Tsineke said.
Fankam Mendjiadeu, a senior forward from Nkongsambe, Cameroon, averaged 16.5 points a game and signed with the Seattle Storm.
Fankam Mendjiadeu scored double points 30 out 34 games, making the double-digit board 26 times this season.
Earlier in the season on November 25, she recorded a career best with 21 rebounds against Georgia Tech.
She ended the 2022-23 season with a conference best 12.3 rebounds outing as a career high.
Fankam Mendjiadeu tops the conference with 418 rebounds, third in the nation. Her average per game is fifth in the nation and first in the American All-Conference and she is also fourth in the nation for double-doubles, with 24.
“I am really grateful for the opportunity, but I know that everything starts now,” Fankam Mendjiadeu said, “I have to go and fight and battle and earn my place.”
On March 31, the duo also became the 10th and 11th players to receive an honorable mention from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, the first from USF to earn an honorable mention since Maria Jespersen and Kitija Laksa in 2018.
The American Athletic Conference names both Tsineke and Fankam Mendjiadeu Co-Players of the Year followed by their unanimous selection for the American All-Conference First Team.
