The ultimate sign of respect is when an opposing team’s gameplan is centred around slowing down a singular player. Their hope, of course, is if that player’s impact is limited, then their team will struggle to succeed. In the case of Maria Mongomo, her name was circled on opposition’s white boards before every single game of her illustrious UNBC career. Despite that, she went on to be the most electric scorer in the history of the green & gold, making her an obvious and deserving inductee into the Timberwolves Wall of Honour.
Reaching out to UNBC coach Sergey Shchepotkin in the spring of 2015, Mongomo expressed interest in taking her game from her hometown of Las Palmas, Spain to the highest level of university basketball in Canada. She had won a U16 European Championship as a member of the Spanish National team, and the TWolves’ bench boss saw her as a true building block, alongside fellow international recruit Vasiliki Louka.
He didn’t expect her to make an immediate impact on the program in the historic way she did. In the 2015-2016 Canada West season, the young Timberwolves struggled to a 3-17 record, but the groundwork was laid as a program to watch in the conference. Mongomo put everyone on notice with a stunning 17.5 points per game average, which was good for third in the conference, and tops among first-year players in all of Canada. She added 7.0 rebounds per game; 14th in the conference, and 2.5 steals per game; tops among U SPORTS rookies.
“You could tell from day one that Maria had the talent and potential to be a game-changer for the program,” said Louka, who would play four seasons with Mongomo. “She did just that. In her first year, she dominated the league, and everyone was talking about her unique talent to score the ball however she wanted to. For me, knowing she would be my teammate for years, was a blessing. I had a feeling we were going to do big things.”
At the conclusion of the season, Mongomo won UNBC Most Valuable Player, UNBC Rookie of the Year, UNBC Female Athlete of the Year, was named to the Canada West All-Rookie team, and became the first TWolf be recognized nationally at the CIS level, when she was tabbed to the country’s All-Rookie Team.
“She was always one to watch for one our scouting report. Her unmatched strength, unblockable shot, and IQ for the game immediately made her one of the most, if not the most, difficult players to guard in Canada,” said Abby Gibb, who started her Canada West career with the MRU Cougars before joining Mongomo and the TWolves. “No one could defend her athleticism. I was designated to guard her and it never got any easier. In fact, the harder you guarded her, the better she played.”
Using her signature combination of power and speed, the five-foot-ten Mongomo continued to deliver in 2016-2017, teaming with Louka and new freshman Madison Landry to give Shchepotkin an experienced but dangerous big three to build around. UNBC would go 6-14, and squeeze into the conference playoffs for the first time in team history. Shutting down Mongomo was a focus for opposition, but she still averaged 16.1 points (8th in CW), 7.8 rebounds (10th), while adding 56 assists (11th) and 49 steals (10th). She’d be named UNBC Best Defensive Player at year’s end, while becoming the first player in program history to be honoured with a conference all-star nod, making the Canada West All-Star Second Team.
“One on one, no one could physically stop her. She was incredibly strong and explosive, which made her such a threat,” said long-time teammate Emily Holmes, who suggests it was actually Mongomo’s approach to the game that set her apart. “Mentally, she always came to play. She had a focused mindset and a relentless will to win. She would fight to the bitter end of games. She really was a fighter and would do everything in her power to help the team win.”
In 2017-2018, Shchepotkin’s program took another step, topping some of the conference’s top teams and finish 9-11 in the regular season, qualifying for the Canada West playoffs for the second consecutive season. Mongomo’s game would continue to develop, averaging 18.1 points per game, which was 4th in the conference and top ten in U SPORTS, to go along with 8.3 rebounds (9th in CW), 62 steals (3rd in CW, 4th in U SPORTS), and set a UNBC record with 46 three-pointers made.
“Maria helped me so much as a player, just having to guard her in practice,” said Madison Landry. “Sergey would tell me I needed to guard Maria, so I could better defend players in this league. But I was intimidated because she was so talented. She could shoot, she could drive, she could post up, she could do it all. I learned a lot from her, and I think every one of us learned a lot from her.”
Mongomo’s leadership became an asset to the Timberwolves by her third year, as her expectations of herself and her expectations for the team elevated to new heights.
“Having the opportunity to play with Maria was game-changing. She demanded focus, passion, grit, and chased perfection more than any athlete I have ever played with,” said Gibb. “I asked if I could stay after practice to shoot threes with her, but she demanded we both make eight 3’s in a row from five spots around the arc before leaving the gym. She proceeded to hit hers, and then stayed with me until I made all mine. I truly realized how lucky I was to learn from such an amazing athlete, friend, mentor, and teammate.”
The upward trajectory continued in 2018-2019, when Mongomo was third in conference scoring with 19.9 points per game, good for seventh in all of U SPORTS. She added 8.6 rebounds per game (10th in CW), and 50 steals (5th in CW, 9th in U SPORTS), and the Timberwolves finished 11-9. In her third trip to the postseason, Mongomo broke out with a 29-point effort against the TWU Spartans to help UNBC to its first Canada West playoff victory.
Mongomo’s 398 points would set a new program single-season record, and she was rewarded with a Canada West Third Team All-Star nod, to go along with another UNBC Best Defensive Player Award.
“Maria was incredibly tough. She would get mad when we were losing, and I thought it was so important to have a player with that mindset,” said Shchepotkin. “It is in her character to be so competitive. She wanted us to be the best, and she worked hard to get there. She came in and was big for us right away, and that fire kept burning for five years. She was so full of confidence, in herself and her team. She wasn’t afraid to take a lead role for us. She did a lot for our program. So important. When teams would play us, opposing coaches needed to always be thinking of Maria.”
Heading into her fifth and final season, Mongomo would reach new heights, despite unforeseen circumstances facing the TWolves. Midway through the 2019-2020 campaign, the Timberwolves roster was down to six players healthy enough to dress in a game. They would play the final eight game of the season with six players suited up, and an incredible burden would be put on their senior star.
Mongomo responded with a 20.1 points per game, earning the Canada West scoring crown, while becoming the first TWolf to score 400 points in a season. She would haul 9.9 rebounds per game, good for 6th in the conference, while leading Canada West with 67 steals – a UNBC single-season record. She would also record three consecutive 30-point games, a feat the conference has no record of ever happening in Women’s Basketball prior. Best of all, the Timberwolves would somehow win all eight games to finish the season, defying the odds.
“That year, when he had six players, was very telling of Maria’s character. She stepped up for us when we needed it most,” said Landry of her longtime running mate. “She was always guarded by the toughest defenders. Teams would focus their scout in what they were going to do when she caught the ball. But she showed up, every time, because of her talented and her will to win.”
In the playoffs, the shorthanded TWolves beat the Lethbridge Pronghorns 93-85, in Lethbridge, in double overtime for a historic win. Mongomo would play 49 minutes, recording a 22 point, 11 rebound double-double. After the season, she would be named UNBC Most Valuable Player, UNBC Female Athlete of the Year, and a Canada West First Team All-Star.
Mongomo’s assault on the record books is notable at the university, and at a conference level. She concluded her career with 92 games played, missing eight games and an opportunity at even more gaudy statistics. She finished her Timberwolves career first in scoring with 1694 points, points per game with 18.4, field goals made with 602, three-pointers with 165, and steals with 258. She also finished second in rebounds with 774, and defensive rebounds with 552.
In the Canada West record books, she sits fourth in scoring, sixth in career scoring average, sixth in steals, eighth in defensive rebounds, 10th in field goals, and top-20 in rebounds and three-pointers. Her 36 double-doubles are sixth most in conference history.
“It was her intense love for the game of basketball. She was intentional in why she came to Canada, to get a degree while playing at the highest level. Her dedication, determination, boldness, and bravery make her so deserving of being on the Wall of Honour.”
After graduation, Mongomo returned to Europe, and has traveled the globe playing professionally. Her effects are still resonating in Northern BC, where she helped power a program from last place to a perennial playoff contender, putting up eye-popping, historic numbers in the process.
“She wanted nothing more than to win every single game. She would do everything in her power to support her teammates and give us a chance to win,” said Holmes. “Maria dedicated her life to this game and was a massive part of pushing this program forward. It is really amazing what she managed to accomplish in her time at UNBC. She helped put our program on the map.”
