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The National Signing Period opened yesterday and USF women’s basketball head coach Jose Fernandez spared no time in securing two signees to the 2019 class.
Kristyna Brabencova - Wing - Brnd, Czech Republic
Last week sources told Nathan Bond of The Daily Stampede that five-star wing Kristyna Brabencova from the Czech Republic had committed to USF, and today she made it official.
There's nothing we love more than welcoming new Bulls! Help us welcome our newest signee -- 5 ⭐️ out of Czech Republic, Kristyna Brabencova! @Braabkaa
— USF W. Basketball (@USFWBB) April 18, 2019
Welcome Kristyna to the family!
Read more about her ⏩ https://t.co/jtoLUuaO3B pic.twitter.com/fuv3ZnOwds
The six-foot three-point sharpshooter competed in the FIBA U-18 Women’s European Championship averaging 9.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, shooting nearly 47% from behind the arc.
Krystina will represent the Czech Republic as they host the FIBA U-20 Women’s European Championship this August.
Bethy Mununga - Forward - Northeastern A&M College
USF also received an NLI from JUCO transfer and Belgium native Bethy Mununga. Nathan Bond reported the forward visited this past weekend, and it appeared to go well securing her commitment to the Bulls.
Glad to say that I will continue my education and career at the University of South Florida pic.twitter.com/tPGMCKKizH
— Bethy 〽️ng ✨ (@Bethy_Mng) April 18, 2019
Nathan was able to chat with Bethy after she made it official on why she chose USF over Florida, Colorado, and Wichita St.
“I like the challenges that I know I will face at USF. It is a good school that I’ve heard about, and they do a very good job as far as basketball,” Mununga said.
“This year was special for them due to a lot of injuries, but the most important thing was the way they responded to it. They lost 3 players of their starting five but they fought until the end. And this is what I like! And a bonus is the diversity of the team. It shows me that Coach Fernandez is really trying to work on the game and mix culture, and do something special unlike some other schools.”
The NJCAA 1st Team All-American has been dubbed a “rebounding machine” and had a double-double in 29 of 32 games in her Sophomore year for the Lady Norse out of Miami, Oklahoma.
BAAANNG 6’2 SUPER ATHLETIC INTERNATIONAL AND NJCAA 1st TEAM ALL @Bethy_Mng IS HEADING TO @USFWBB . RATED TOP 2 NJCAA PLAYERS, SHE WILL HELP SEND USF BACK TO A DEEP RUN IN THE NCAA . A 5 DO IT ALL FORWARD LED THE NATION IN REBOUNDING @NEO_WBBall #PASSION #BETHY #USFBulls pic.twitter.com/nqedeT4m1g
— passionhoops (@passionhoops) April 17, 2019
Mununga said her athleticism was her biggest asset as a player.
“When I was back in Belgium, I used to play with people older than me and they had a lot more experience,” Mununga said. “So the only way for me to defend myself was to be strong physically. This is how I developed a physical game. I also did track and field before I played basketball, so I like to run the floor. But my strengths would be rebounding and my defense!”
Kristyna and Bethy will join Maria Alvarez as members of Fernandez’s 2019 signing class.