“Coach Dawn Staley gotta pick her up”: Hoops fans react as 6’7 8th grader Gabija Krasauskaite impresses in varsity game

Rising middle school basketball star Gabija Krasauskaite of Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers in Minnesota may just be in eighth grade, but at 6'7", she is already taller than most girls will ever be. With her height, she can block a lot of shots and dominate as a rim protector. This was evident during a game against Rochester Lourdes Eagles on Monday, where the Marshall star was a dominant force on the defensive end.

The Marshall Hilltoppers won that game 72-65.

Because she is still so young yet already tall and good at blocking shots, several fans weighed in on her hooping future, including asking South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley to recruit her.

"Coach Dawn Staley gotta pick her up😭😭🔥🤌🏽" one South Carolina fan said.

"By her senior year in HS, conference gonna be SICK of her🔥" predicted another commenter.

"😂😂😂griner 2.0," said another commenter, comparing her to dominant WNBA center Brittney Griner.

Meanwhile, others were questioning how she got to that height, while others just marveled at her defensive prowess.

"That chase down block was OD," another person stated.

"What are they feeding this girl," asked another commenter.

"If she is 6’7 all the other 8th graders like 5’11-6’?" another commenter pointed out.

Hoops fans react to Gabija Krasauskaite dominating opponents during a varsity game (Source: Instagram/ overtimewbb)

Gabija Krasauskaite is originally from Lithuania and has played in several sports leagues internationally, including her home country.

Gabija Krasauskaite gets praise from her school's head coach

Gabija Krasauskaite has impressed many with her defensive prowess as an intimidating rim protector, constantly stopping her opponents from scoring. Her coach, Chibuzo Osuchukwu, says she has been improving significantly and praised her basketball IQ.

"She's bigger, faster and stronger than a year ago. " Osuchukwu said. "She extended her range a lot, too. That's the goal, to improve each year. She has a high basketball IQ and that's why a lot of college coaches love her already."

Offensively, she only scores 6.5 points per game. Her field goal percentage is at 64.3% as she does not take many shots. Her rebounding needs improvement too, as she averages only 5.6 rebounds per game.

While she is a diamond in the rough, her best skill is shot blocking, averaging 3.2 per game. She also averages 0.4 assists and 0.2 steals per game.