The next challenge for Team USA awaits at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille. Standing in their way is a talented Belgian roster, who is fresh off grabbing a gold in the 2023 European Championship. The roster is indeed a talented lot of ballers having the potential to dictate the terms of the game on any given day. However, the one familiar name from the corridors of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College who lived the American Dream is Bethy Mununga.

Hailing from Zellik, Belgium, the 6-foot-forward made quite a reputation for herself while donning the national jersey. Appearing on the scene in 2017 as part of the National Team Youth, Mununga participated in 7 games at the FIBA U20 Division A Women’s European Championship. She performed the offensive and defensive duties to the best of her abilities by capping off the tournament with a 9.7 PPG and 9.9 RPG. In addition to this, she delivered an impressive Individual Player Efficiency stand at 16.1.

After spending 3 seasons with the South Florida Bulls, Bethy Mununga headed to Europe, where a number of clubs were waiting to make the most of her skills. She initially became a part of ACS Sepsi-SIC. In the 2023 edition of the EuroCup, she exhibited her skills on 10 occasions, garnering a double-double average of 13.7 points and 12.8 rebounds per contest. Following this, she could only be a part of the EuroLeague for just 2 games. Then in 2024, in just 4 games, Mununga racked up 7.3 points and grabbed 11.8 rebounds before making a switch to the Villeneuve d’Ascq LM.

Speaking about her national duties, she was a part of the gold medal-winning roster at the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket. Anyhow, her trip to the Olympics was confirmed courtesy of her efficiency at the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. In her 3 games, Mununga scored 8.7 points and had at least 4 boards in each of her fixtures while maintaining an Individual Player Efficiency of 10.3.

While her resume is pretty impressive as a senior pro, both at the franchise level and nationally, Mununga’s contributions to South Florida are also worth noting.

Bethy Mununga living the American Dream

The period from 2017 to 2019 saw Bethy Mununga be a proud Lady Norse. During that time, she managed to become a 2x All-American and All-Region II player. On top of that, she scored 1,035 points, which is the third highest in the program’s history, and she finished as their leading rebounder with a total of 795 (13 rebounds per game). She repeated a similar story in terms of double-doubles as well as no one has been able to surpass her tally of 47.

As a senior, Mununga was shortlisted as one of 10 Finalists for the prestigious Katrina McClain Award. Her 33 games produced a double-double average of 10.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game ranking her 7th overall in the nation. Furthermore, her 378 rebounds occupied the top spot in the American Athletic Conference.

A true gem for the Belgium national team this time around. Indeed, the Olympics provide a fitting platform for the 27-year-old to properly showcase what she is actually capable of. And by the looks of it, Team USA will need to have a proper game plan for tackling Bethy Mununga in their upcoming fixture.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And, join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show”. Our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.