St. Mary’s Academy alumna Bendu Yeaney to play in the NCAA Final Four

Press release co-written by Natalie Nielsen
Published March 31, 2021 - St. Mary’s Academy

Bendu Yeaney, Portland native and four-year varsity player at St. Mary’s Academy, is the first St. Mary’s alumna to play in the NCAA Final Four.  She and her Arizona Wildcat teammates will take on the UConn Huskies in the semifinal round on Friday night.  It is the Wildcat’s first Final Four appearance.

Bendu played at St. Mary’s Academy from 2014-2017 and went on to play for Indiana University, later transferring to Arizona where she is currently a junior.  While at St. Mary’s, Bendu averaged 28.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 4.7 steals.  As a senior, she helped lead the Blues to the 6A state championships.  Bendu played for St. Mary’s basketball coaches Art Rojas as a freshman and Dewey Taylor, III, her sophomore, junior and senior years.

St. Mary’s staff spoke with Bendu on Wednesday morning and she shared this about making it to the Final Four:

“The experience has been more than I could have ever dreamed of. I remember dreaming about playing in the Final Four since the time I started playing basketball, so to finally be here is a surreal feeling.  Especially after tearing my Achilles two years ago and dealing with all the adversity I have to endure, to be here two years late is unbelievable.  We, as a team, want more, and playing Uconn we are the underdogs.  But we are here to do something special; we are ready to keep shocking the world.”

She further reflects on her time at St. Mary’s:

“St. Mary’s helped me prepare for big moments and games. When I was playing in high school, I often would be the focus for the other teams, so I use that experience to help me now. During my time at SMA, there was always so much support and love with everything I did, and I know that everyone in the SMA community is cheering me and my teammates on. I really appreciate all the love and support that I’ve been getting from the St. Mary’s community.”

St. Mary’s principal Nicole Foran shares her own message of support and congratulations:

“I know I speak for the entire St. Mary’s community when I say how proud we are of Bendu’s accomplishments.  We will all be cheering her on Friday night.”  

Bendu and the No. 3 seed Arizona Wildcats play in the Final Four semifinal Friday, April 2 at 6:30PM PT against the No. 1 seed University of Connecticut Huskies.