Shooting guard Kabongo joins women’s basketball

8:46 a.m., May 21, 2007--Shooting guard Vanessa Kabongo, a top player in Canada, has been added to the 2007-08 University of Delaware women's basketball recruiting class.

“Vanessa is an outstanding athlete who will play the wing guard position,” UD Head Coach Tina Martin said. “She is a slashing athletic guard who can score. She will contribute to our program immediately.”

Kabongo, who is originally from the Congo, now attends Canada Basketball's National Elite Development Academy in Hamilton, Ontario. After playing two years at Eastern Commerce High School, Kobongo was one of 12 players to attend the Academy, which is a training center for Canada's top basketball players between the ages of 15 and 17.

Kabongo, who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall, also played in five games at the U20 FIBA Americas international basketball qualifier in Mexico City, Mexico, last year and trained with the junior women's national team in Colorado Springs, Colo.

In 2005 she played in all five games in the USA Basketball Youth Development Festival, averaging 16.4 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. She also won a gold medal with Team Ontario at the 2005 Canada Games and a silver medal at the 2005 U15 national championships.

In 2006 she was voted to the national championships all-star team and was named 2006 All-Canadian Rising Star.

Kabongo will join center Eva Riddick, point guard Gracie Palucis and guard Tesia Harris to make up the 2007-08 recruiting class. UD is coming off a 26-6 season in which the team advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001.