Kristina Rakotobe Makes History as First Madagascan to Qualify for NCAA March Madness

Kristina Rakotobe Makes History as First Madagascan to Qualify for NCAA March Madness

Madagascan basketball — known affectionately as Malagasy basketball — is steadily on the rise, taking significant strides forward in recent years. Hot on the heels of Madagascar's Men's and Women's 3x3 teams claiming their respective 2024 FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup titles and rising star Mathias M'Madi leading the senior men's national team to qualification for the 2025 FIBA Men's AfroBasket, comes another standout talent: Kristina Rakotobe.

In November 2024, Rakotobe achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first-ever Madagascar-born male or female player to compete in NCAA basketball. She recently went one step further, becoming the first Madagascan to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, famously known as March Madness.

Representing the UNC Greensboro Spartans (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), the 5'11" forward played a key role throughout the challenging Southern Conference (SoCon) season, helping the team secure a 13-1 conference record and an impressive 25-6 overall season tally. During the campaign, Rakotobe delivered several notable performances, including grabbing seven rebounds off the bench in just 14 minutes away to Coastal Carolina and collecting eight rebounds in 10 minutes at home against Livingstone.

These contributions helped spark the Spartans — alongside fellow African Senegalese forward Yacine N'Diaye — to a 64-57 victory over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs, clinching the 2025 SoCon Championship. This triumph secured their ticket to March Madness, where they will face off against Juju Watkins and the top-seeded USC Trojans.

Born in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, Kristina Rakotobe has become an inspiration to many young Malagasy basketball players aspiring to follow in her footsteps. In 2022, she represented Madagascar at the FIBA U18 African Women's Championship, leading her team to an impressive fourth-place finish, averaging 12 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Rakotobe topped her team in three of the six major statistical categories — efficiency, points, and rebounds.

Kristina Rakotobe's rapid rise continued in 2023 when she was selected for the prestigious Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Global Camp, where she earned the BWB Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award — a testament to her talent, leadership, and character on and off the court.

A proud Madagascan, Kristina Rakotobe also announced the launch of her basketball camp, Girls Unity Basketball, via Facebook in 2023, with the help of fellow Malagasy upstart Donovan Rakotonanahary:

"I am very happy to announce my project to create a basketball camp for girls aged 14 to 16, called Girls Unity Basketball. During this camp, we will have the opportunity to participate in an exchange of experiences, to learn and to share the love of basketball. This camp will be led by Donovan Rakotonanahary and me, some coaches from the national team and other players..."

Kristina Rakotobe’s journey is a shining example of Madagascar’s growing basketball talent and improving development system and a beacon of pride for African basketball. As she continues to rise, we should all follow her collegiate career closely — she is inspiring the next generation of players across Madagascar and the continent, proving that Africa’s future in basketball is brighter than ever.

[Photography Courtesy of uncgspartans.com and Kristina Rakotobe's Instagram]