Fankam Mendjiadeu is second on the team in scoring and leads the Bulls in rebounding.
GAME 19 | WED., JAN. 11, 2023 | 7 P.M. | TAMPA, FLA. | YUENGLING CENTER
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV/Online: ESPN+ ($)
Jim Louk (PxP), Leah Secondo (Color)
Audio: Bulls Unlimited (TuneIn App/GoUSFBulls.com)
Darek Sharp (PxP), Brigid Merenda (Color)
Live Stats: GoUSFBulls.com
Series: Memphis leads the series, 15-14
Twitter Updates: @USFWBB
Tickets: (800) Go-Bulls; USFBullsTix.com
RV/RV USF BULLS | 14-4 (3-0, AAC)
Last Game: Jan. 7 at Wichita State, W, 69-46
Next Game: Jan. 14 vs. Tulane, 7 p.m.
Head Coach: Jose Fernandez
Alma Mater: FIU, 1994
Career Record: 430-289 (23rd season)
at South Florida: Same
AP/ USA Today /Net/SOS (Through Jan. 9): RV/RV/34/12
MEMPHIS TIGERS | 9-7 (1-2, AAC)
Last Game: Jan. 6 vs. SMU, W, 80-51
Next Game: Jan. 14 at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Head Coach: Katrina Merriweather
Alma Mater: Cincinnati, 2001
Career Record: 138-66 (Seventh season)
at Memphis: 25-19 (Second season)
AP/USA Today/Net/SOS (Through Jan. 9): -/-/69/40
By Joey Johnston
Last season was productive for USF women’s basketball senior center Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu. She averaged 10.3 points and 7.1 rebounds. She was named to the All-American Athletic Conference second team.
Pretty good.
But not good enough.
Fankam Mendjiadeu was driven by a special goal every day of the offseason, a mission that had her rising early, spending extra time in the weight room, performing a running regimen around campus and practically living on the practice courts to hone her basketball skills.
She was chasing greatness.
Based on the results so far, Fankam Mendjiadeu has propelled herself to a higher level and the Bulls (14-4, 3-0) hope to exploit that on Wednesday night when the Memphis Tigers (9-7, 1-2) visit the Yuengling Center.
Fankam Mendjiadeu, a 6-foot-4 native of Nkongsamba, Cameroon, is averaging a double-double — 16.5 points and 11.8 rebounds — while compiling 12 double-doubles in USF’s 18 games. That includes ridiculous efforts against Georgia Tech (19 points, 21 rebounds), Ohio State (34 points, 17 rebounds) and NC State (10 points, 18 rebounds).
“There are plenty of players with million-dollar dreams and a 10-dollar work ethic,’’ USF coach Jose Fernandez said. “Dulcy is very mature. She has goals. She knows that you get back what you put into things. She has been dedicated to changing her body, getting faster, getting stronger, getting better.
“She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached. But still, she knew she had to change the way she ate. She had to change her sleeping patterns. That stuff was meaningful to her. The amount of investment she put in during the spring and summer was unbelievable. She doesn’t just show up for games. She puts in the work constantly. Now she’s getting rewarded and it’s absolutely great to see.’’
The Bulls also feature guard Elena Tsineke, the AAC’s Preseason Player of the Year, and Florida State transfer Sammie Puisis, who has positioned herself for top conference honors. With Fankam Mendjiadeu, the Bulls legitimately have three players who could vie to become the AAC’s top performer this season.
“Dulcy has been very influential and very motivational for all of us,’’ USF guard Maria Alvarez said. “Since the offseason, she has literally been in the gym, 24/7. You can tell she really wants to win it all, so that attitude rubs off on all of us.
“She’s just one of those people who is always the first in the gym and the last to leave. El (Tsineke) is the same way. Having Dulcy around gives us all such security. We know our big girl will get the rebounds and play defense. We trust her with the ball to give us important buckets. She needs to get (national attention). I mean, she really does. And I think she will.’’
Fankam Mendjiadeu, who already has her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and is bearing down on her master’s degree in finance, said national acclaim would be nice. But her top goal is helping the Bulls get deep into the NCAA Tournament.
“I would be honored to be mentioned as a great player in the country,’’ she said. “But I’m mostly here to compete and win. It really doesn’t matter who scores the points as long as we win. I think all of our players feel that way and that’s why we share the ball and win games.’’
Fankam Mendjiadeu, who speaks French and English fluently (along with her Cameroonian dialect of Banwa), said she began basketball at age 15 in her native Cameroon. She wasn’t especially keen to play, but her size made it inevitable. She first concentrated on the dirty work, such as rebounding and defense, before looking to score.
She was excited to learn there could be opportunities in America. Her grades first forced her to junior college, then to Memphis, but she transferred to AAC foe USF last season and became a key player on the Bulls’ 24-win NCAA team.
“I felt like a newbie,’’ Fankam Mendjiadeu said. “I didn’t think of myself as a leader. I was getting used to the new people and gaining their trust. I did OK, but I don’t feel like I was that strong of a player and I don’t think I gave my absolute best all the time.
“I just decided I wanted it to change. So I worked and worked. I took it very seriously. I felt like I was tired on the court some time last season and I didn’t want to feel that way ever again. Now I never feel like that. I feel strong and I feel like I can play all day.’’
Teammates say Fankam Mendjiadeu has a sneaky sense of humor, but is rarely one to stray from the business of productive basketball. Everything in her life has a purpose — classwork, practice, diet and rest. In her leisurely moments, you might find her cooking a dish at home with music blaring. She also likes reading, preferably a fantastic fiction story.
“Cooking and dancing … I like both,’’ Fankam Mendjiadeu said. “In the offseason, I make some African dishes, but during the season I keep it very simple and healthy. My weakness is chocolate. I have to stay away from chocolate, but it’s very hard. The sweets (test) my discipline.’’
Her father is a retired teacher and her mother is a paralegal. They remain amazed that their daughter has built a life in American basketball while also completing her second degree. She’s fascinated with money — how to acquire it, how to build wealth, how to protect assets — and sees herself working in the financial field.
For now, though, it’s all about basketball. She has a kindred spirit in Russel Tchewa, the USF men’s basketball center and a fellow native of Cameroon. Sometimes, they compare notes and both agree that they are determined to reach basketball’s highest level.
“Our team is capable of the biggest things,’’ Fankam Mendjiadeu said. “I have big goals, but I’m concentrating right now on the place where I am, USF. We’re good, but I don’t feel we have done enough yet. We have to keep working in order to achieve our goals.’’
And if there’s one thing Fankam Mendjiadeu knows well, it’s work.
It has gotten her this far — to contention for the AAC’s top honor and maybe some national notice, too.
“I think Dulcy is going to be a kid who’s going to be drafted in the WNBA and she’s going to make a lot of money playing this game for a while,’’ Fernandez said. “She has made a big difference for us. I’m proud of her. She has earned it.’’
South Florida closes out its short two-game homestand on Saturday when it hosts Tulane, for the second meeting since Dec. 30 (ESPN+). Game time against the Green Wave is at 7 p.m.
Can’t make it out to catch the Bulls? Most road games, and all USF home games, not televised nationally, will be aired live on ESPN+. Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app are $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services. A step-by-step guide for subscribing to ESPN+ is located here.
About USF Women’s Basketball
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South Florida recorded its 10th 20-win season during the 2021-22 campaign while playing in its sixth American Athletic Conference championship game in its nine years in the conference. The Bulls achieved their highest national ranking of the season when it checked in at No. 13 in the Nov. 30 Associated Press Top 25 Poll, and advanced to their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last nine years.
USF has made 17 postseason tournament appearances and had eight NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 22 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to 10 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship, and has won over 400 career games. Fernandez was named a finalist for the WBCA and semifinalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Awards. He was also tabbed the 2021 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the 2020-21 campaign.
In 2021-22, the Bulls had three players recognized by The American for impressive seasons, including Elena Tsineke (All-Conference First Team), Bethy Mununga (All-Conference Second Team) and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (All-Conference Second Team).
In addition, Tsineke and Mununga were named to the American Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team.
–#GoBulls –
