Ragna Margrét Brynjarsdóttir

Ragna Margrét Brynjarsdóttir (born 30 March 1990) is an Icelandic basketball player and a former member of the Icelandic national basketball team. She won the Icelandic championship in 2007 and 2009 as a member of Haukar and was named to the Úrvalsdeild Domestic All-First Team in 2011 and 2017. Following her retirement in 2019 she started working as an analyst on Domino's Körfuboltakvöld, a weekly show covering the Úrvalsdeild karla and Úrvalsdeild kvenna leagues.

Ragna Margrét Brynjarsdóttir
Ragna Margrét with Valur in 2014.
Personal information
Born (1990-03-30) 30 March 1990 (age 34)
Iceland
NationalityIcelandic
Listed height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Career information
Playing career2006–2019
2021–2022
PositionCenter
Number11
Career history
2006–2011Haukar
2011–2012KFUM Sundsvall
2012–2015Valur
2015–2019Stjarnan
2021–2022Valur
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  Iceland
Games of the Small States of Europe
Silver medal – second place 2009 Andorra National Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 Iceland National Team
Silver medal – second place 2017 San Marino National Team

Playing career edit

Haukar (2006–2011) edit

Ragna started her playing career with Haukar in the Úrvalsdeild kvenna during the 2006-2007 season. She appeared in 16 games during the regular season, averaging 2.9 points per game.[1] Haukar dominated during the season, winning all four major trophies; the national championship, the Icelandic Basketball Cup, the Supercup and the Company Cup while also finishing with the best win-loss record in the Úrvalsdeild.[2]

During the offseason, Haukar lost several key players, including stars Helena Sverrisdóttir and Pálína Gunnlaugsdóttir.[3] Despite the losses he guided the team to Icelandic Cup finals[4] and the Úrvalsdeild playoffs.[5] In the Cup, Haukar lost to Grindavík 77-67.[6] and in the Úrvalsdeild playoffs, Haukar were beaten by Keflavík in the semi-finals.[7]

During the 2008-2009 season, Ragna started all 29 games, averaging 8.1 points and 9.8 rebounds. She was instrumental in Haukar reaching the Úrvalsdeild finals again where they beat KR 3-2.[8][9]

In 2010, she helped Haukar win the Icelandic Cup, scoring 11 points in the 83-77 win against Keflavík in the Cup final.[10]

In 2010-2011, Ragna was named to the Domestic All-First Team after averaging 11.3 points and 10.0 rebounds in 21 games.[11]

KFUM Sundsvall (2011–2012) edit

After the season, she left Haukar and joined Swedish club KFUM Sundsvall[12][13] in the then second-tier Basketettan.[14] In 15 games for Sundsvall, she averaged 6.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Valur (2012–2015) edit

After one season in Sweden, Ragna returned to Iceland and signed with Valur.[15]

On 9 January 2014, she became the first player to be charged by the Icelandic Basketball Federation's referee committee for her unsportsmanlike foul on Helga Hjördís Björgvinsdóttir during Valur's game against Snæfell on 8 January.[16] She was cleared by the Federations disciplinary court as it concluded that it did not have jurisdiction over incidents where a referee called a foul on player but did not eject him.[17]

Stjarnan (2015–2019) edit

On 19 August 2015, Ragna signed with newly promoted Stjarnan.[18] The season turned out to be highly disappointing with high scoring American guard Chelsie Schweers being fired in December[19] and head coach Baldur Ingi Jónasson resigning in February.[20] Despite Ragna averaging 12.6 points and 9.4 rebounds, Stjarnan finished with a 3-21 record, barely escaping relegation. The following season, Ragna averaged 13.0 points and 9.3 rebounds, helping Stjarnan secure a playoff spot for the first time in the club's history.[21] In the playoffs, Stjarnan got swept in the first round by Snæfell.[22] After the season she was named to the Domestic All-First team for the second time in her career.[23]

On 3 February 2018, Ragna collided with Snæfell's Anna Soffía Lárusdóttir, resulting in a concussion that forced her to miss the rest of the season.[24] Without her, Stjarnan missed out on the playoffs with a loss against Skallagrímur in the last game of the regular season.[25] On 27 September 2018, she said in an interview with Karfan.is that she was still dealing with issues from the head injury and was unsure when she would return to the court.[26] In January 2019, Ragna resumed training with Stjarnan but stated that there was no timetable for her return to the court.[27] On 9 January, she played her first game since the injury, scoring 7 points in 12 minutes in a loss against Keflavík.[28] She appeared in 8 games during the season, averaging 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. Her last game came on 27 February 2019 and she did not play during the playoffs. Following the season, Ragna retired from competitive basketball.[29]

Valur (2021–2022) edit

In 2021, she had a comeback with Valur. On 15 December 2021 she played her first game since February 2019.

Icelandic national team edit

From 2008 to 2017,[30][31] Ragna played 43 games for the Icelandic national basketball team.[32] She participated with Iceland at the Games of the Small States of Europe in 2009, 2015[33] and 2017.[34]

In November 2015, she became the first player in Stjarnan's history to be selected to the national team.[35]

Achievement edit

Awards edit

Titles edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Iceland Express deild kvenna - Haukar". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Federation. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Var aldrei í vafa um að við myndum vinna". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 16 April 2007. p. B8. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  3. ^ Viðar Guðjónsson (10 October 2007). "Keflvíkingum spáð sigri". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Einn leikur, einn sigurvegari". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 22 February 2008. pp. 44–45. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  5. ^ Kristján Jónsson (21 February 2008). "Grátlegt að missa af úrslitakeppninni". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  6. ^ Skúli Unnar Sveinsson (25 February 2008). "Bikarinn til Grindavíkur". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Meistarar Hauka úr leik". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). 20 March 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  8. ^ Kristján Jónsson (2 April 2009). "Þetta eru bara töffarar". Morgunblaðið. pp. C1, C4. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Dimovska tryggði titilinn". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). 2 April 2009. pp. 1, 48. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  10. ^ Kristján Jónsson (20 February 2010). "Haukar bikarmeistarar í körfuknattleik kvenna". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Verðlaunahafar á Lokahófinu 2011". Icelandic Basketball Federation (in Icelandic). 30 April 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Ragna mun fylgja Pavel". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 10 August 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  13. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (11 August 2011). "Einstæð móðir á leiðinni í atvinnumennsku". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  14. ^ Fredrik Ytterström (2 August 2011). "Isländska till KFUM". Sundsvall Tidning (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  15. ^ Kolbeinn Tumi Daðason (21 July 2012). "Ragna Margrét til liðs við Val". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  16. ^ "Fyrsta kæran til aga-og úrskurðarnefndar KKÍ". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 9 January 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  17. ^ "Ragna Margrét sýknuð af kröfu dómaranefndar". Fúsíjama TV (in Icelandic). 22 January 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  18. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (19 August 2015). "Ragna Margrét og Telma spila með Stjörnunni í vetur". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  19. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (29 December 2015). "Ráku stigahæsta leikmann deildarinnar". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  20. ^ Jón Júlíus Karlsson (5 February 2016). "Baldur Ingi hættur hjá Stjörnunni". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  21. ^ Sindri Sverrisson (27 March 2017). "Stór stund í sögu Stjörnunnar". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  22. ^ Kristinn Páll Teitsson (5 April 2017). "Umfjöllun og viðtöl: Snæfell - Stjarnan 84-70 - Snæfell sópaði Stjörnunni í sumarfrí". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  23. ^ Tómas Þór Þórðarson (5 May 2017). "Jón Arnór og Thelma Dís bestu leikmenn tímabilsins". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  24. ^ "Ragna Margrét frá í óákveðin tíma vegna höfuðhöggs". karfan.is (in Icelandic). 21 February 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  25. ^ Ívar Kristinn Jasonarson (24 March 2018). "Umfjöllun og viðtöl: Stjarnan - Valur 66-85 -Stjörnukonur sitja eftir". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  26. ^ Ólafur Þór Jónsson (27 September 2018). "Ragna Margrét tekur sér frí frá körfubolta". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  27. ^ Bjarni Helgason (5 January 2019). "Eitt skref í einu eftir höfuðhögg". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  28. ^ "Ragna sneri aftur eftir höfuðhögg". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  29. ^ "Stjarnan harðlega gagnrýnd". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  30. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (26 July 2008). "Ragna Margrét í hópnum". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  31. ^ "Ragna Margrét fær tækifæri hjá Ágústi". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 2 August 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  32. ^ "KKÍ | A landslið". kki.is. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  33. ^ "Bryndís og Helena á sínum fjórðu Smáþjóðaleikum". kki.is (in Icelandic). 6 June 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  34. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (17 May 2017). "Níu af tólf leikmönnum í karlalandsliðinu á Smáþjóðaleikunum í San Marínó eru nýliðar". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  35. ^ "Ragna Margrét fyrsta landsliðskona Stjörnunnar í körfubolta". Icelandic Basketball Federation (in Icelandic). 24 November 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

External links edit