HEAL A FACE FOR OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
SHYLA Heal has emerged from a long and draining bout of glandular fever ready to fight for a place among the elite of women’s basketball.
Left bedridden for long periods, the star guard could only watch on as she lost her place in the Opals while her WNBA dreams seemed further away than ever.
It has been a challenging 16 months for the 21-yearold, starting in mid-2021 when she was brutally cut from her WNBA team, the Chicago Sky, after just four games. The Sky had selected Heal with the eighth pick in the draft, but opted to waive her.
She received the shattering news while she was at the airport preparing for her first road trip with Chicago.
The emerging guard also missed the 2020 Tokyo Olympic squad while her glandular fever denied her a spot in the recent World Cup in Sydney. These events took a toll, but they also had Heal conditioned to fight through the fever and find her feet again.
“Looking back, I’m so grateful that everything panned out the way it did,” said Heal, the daughter of Australian basketball legend Shane Heal.
“I’m so much stronger as a result and I’ve had to learn quickly what I need to get better at.”
It’s not to say that Heal didn’t have her down days as she battled with glandular fever dating back to the start of the year. She felt so fatigued that she would sleep for up to 12 hours a night and still need a nap the following day. Heal even played in three World Cup warm-up games for the Opals, against Japan in May, with undiagnosed glandular fever.
Despite this, she averaged 9.3 points across the three-game series. Once diagnosed, Heal participated and supported the Opals program as much as possible. Due to this illness and the required recovery, she wasn’t selected in the squad for New York, which was then again whittled down into the squad that played in the World Cup.
Heal is now back to full health and focused on producing a strong WNBL season with the
Sydney Flames. She says a six-week pre-season has her primed to perform, starting with the
Flames’ season-opening away clash against
Bendigo Spirit on November 12.
Heal is also keen to have an influence off the court after partnering with FIBA sponsor
TCL on its global #TCLFORHER campaign to inspire confidence and self-belief in young women across the world.
Heal’s sights are set on representing the
Opals in future tournaments while she has one eye on a return to the WNBA. She felt disappointed to miss the Australian squad for a home World Cup in Sydney, but she made the most of her courtside seat.
“Watching on I was taking notes in my head,” she said. “I was learning, so I can be out there at the next World Cup and kick some butt.”