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Wisconsin forward Gift Uchenna’s eligibility appeal is ‘long shot’
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- Wisconsin forward Gift Uchenna’s eligibility appeal is ‘long shot’
ROSEMONT, IL – Wisconsin women's basketball has not given up hope for another year of eligibility for Gift Uchenna, but the odds do not appear to be in Uchenna's favor after the NCAA denied the request for an eligibility waiver.
"We submitted an appeal, and we have not heard back from that," Wisconsin coach Robin Pingeton said . "I think it's probably a long shot, but you never know. And we'll just see what the verdict is on that, hopefully sooner than later."
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Wisconsin "knew it was potentially a long shot" when submitting the request in the first place for the 6-foot-3 forward from Nigeria , Pingeton said, but the Badgers still pursued that route with their last open roster spot ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The effort to procure another year of eligibility followed two years at a university in Taiwan, one year at Southern Illinois and one year at Wisconsin. Uchenna averaged 9.1 points per game and led UW with 6.9 rebounds per game on a 2025-26 team that reached the WBIT semifinals.
"We've really tried to move in the space of understanding that this was going to be a long shot for her and tried to keep that at the forefront of our conversations," Pingeton said at the Big Ten's annual basketball media days Oct. 7. "And so expectations weren't too high."
The Badgers' modest expectations for the waiver and appeal process were apparent with their 2026-27 roster construction.
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Kadidia Toure – a 6-3 forward who was the Northeast Conference's player of the year – solved some of that positional need. Toure averaged 19.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in her lone season with Long Island after previously playing at James Madison and Arizona State.
Uchenna is not listed on the team's official roster, but she has remained present with the Badgers in unofficial ways.
"She's still been around our team," Pingeton said. "She's been working out with them. I think that's really important to her. And this is her family away from home. … She elevates us, too. So it's been really good. I think she's had a very mature outlook on it."
Wisconsin's Gift Uchenna (15) is guarded by Oregon forward Sarah Rambus (23) during the second half of their game Sunday, January 18, 2026 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Oregon 94-92 in double overtime.
If Uchenna's appeal is unsuccessful, Pingeton and her staff will "continue to pour into her" in whatever ways are possible. Pingeton specifically mentioned her aspirations of playing professionally and the importance of her UW degree.
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"She's always going to be a part of our basketball family," Pingeton said. "She was one of the players that helped us lay the foundation and put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into Year 1 at Wisconsin. So we want to make sure we continue to support her on the court if there's an opportunity, but even more importantly, off the court."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin forward Gift Uchenna's eligibility appeal is 'long shot'
