Gandy Malou-Mamel

Gandy Malou-Mamel (born December 31, 2005) is an Irish college basketball player for the UConn Huskies.

Early life Malou-Mamel was born on December 31, 2005, in Limerick, Ireland, where she was raised. She was the oldest of five children born to parents Yves and Giselle, who each came separately to Ireland from the Democratic Republic of Congo as refugees fleeing the Second Congo War. They later met at a social event for Congolese immigrants in Limerick. She was introduced to the sport when a coach from a local club, Limerick Celtics, visited her school. She also attended Castletroy College, reaching two All-Ireland schools finals with the basketball team. She enrolled at Gill St. Bernard's School ahead of her sophomore year. As a sophomore, she averaged 7.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. As a junior, Malou-Mamel averaged 16.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game, earning second-team all-state honors from NJ.com. On February 8, 2025, as a senior, she scored her 1,000th career point in a 67–35 win over Mount St. Mary. Malou-Mamel finished her final high school season with averages of 17.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. Malou-Mamel was also named the Skyland Conference Player of the Year, Additionally, she played on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit for the NJ Shoreshots and the Jersey Gemz. as well as the 75th- and 77th-best overall recruit in the class of 2025, according to ESPN and 247Sports, respectively. She was spotted by UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma at an EYBL tournament in Dallas in May 2023.

College career Malou-Mamel arrived at UConn for her freshman year "as a project, a rare and raw 6-foot-5 center with an endless ceiling", as described by CT Insider. She made her collegiate debut on November 12, 2025, briefly coming off the bench in an 85–31 blowout win over Loyola–Chicago, and scored her first basket in her second game, making a layup in the final minute of another blowout win over Xavier on November 30.

Malou-Mamel debuted for the Ireland senior national team on August 12, 2023, making a brief appearance in a 73–67 friendly win against Austria at the National Basketball Arena.

Personal life Malou-Mamel has three brothers and one sister. While in high school, she initially boarded with Kieran Quinn's family in Verona, New Jersey, before moving in with the family of another former Irish international, Rob Gibbons, in Mendham Township, New Jersey, ahead of her junior year.

Malou-Mamel is the first Irish player in UConn women's basketball history.