Syracuse standout’s courage inspires all, no matter the team
Even University of Miami women’s basketball coach Katie Meier will have a soft spot in her heart for Syracuse guard Tiana Mangakahia when the Hurricanes play the 20th-ranked Orange on Thursday night at home in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
Mangakahia, one of the nation’s best playmakers two years ago, missed all last season while battling breast cancer. She underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy and then a double mastectomy on Nov. 6, 2019.
Making her journey even more difficult was the fact that she was
9,500 miles from her family and friends in Australia. She could have opted to begin her WNBA career after her recovery but decided to petition the NCAA for an extra season of eligibility, which was granted.
She returned to the court Nov. 29, and had 16 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists in a 50-39 win over Stony Brook.
“She’s just a brilliant, brilliant basketball player,” Meier said. “To not cheer for her on Thursday is going to be hard. That’s how inspirational she has been. She really deserves all the respect, not so much what happened to her, which obviously was really difficult, but how she has carried herself and handled herself.”
As Meier watched tape of Syracuse to scout for the game, she noted Mangakahia’s demeanor on the bench.
“Last year, she came out of surgeries and chemotherapies and she’s on the bench, coaching her guts out on the sideline for her team,” Meier said. “Someone understands when something they love so much has been taken and they’re so helpless they can either pout or absolutely pour their heart into their team and I saw Tiana do that last year. She’s a really special young lady.”
In her two previous seasons with Syracuse, she became the fastest player in program history to reach 1,000 points, and she had nearly 600 assists in 65 games. She was a two-time All-ACC selection and is the Orange’s all-time assist leader. She was an AP All-American honorable mention her junior season.
“She’s handled this so gracefully and so courageously,” Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman told Syracuse.com. “She’s not letting us feel sorry for her and she’s competing in practice. Every day when she was around, she wasn’t a kid that was trying to hide. When she lost her hair, she lost her hair and put on her dress clothes and came to the game.”
In addition to Mangakahia, the Hurricanes will have to contain All-ACC guard Kiara Lewis and a highly ranked freshman class that includes Kamilla Cardoso, a 6-7 center from Brazil. Brianna Jackson and Sydney Roby, back from concussion protocol, will be charged with the low-post duties.
“She’s mature, and definitely does not look like a freshman,” Meier said of Cardoso.
The Hurricanes beat the Orange 77-62 last season behind 22 points and four steals from guard Mykea Gray. They will not have her this time, as Gray is out for the season with a knee injury.
“We’re going to get into the heart of the schedule where the opposing coaches know how much Mykea meant to our style,” Meier said. “We played Syracuse last year after being embarrassed by Louisville at home, had just lost Beatrice [Mompremier to injury] and Mykea had her best game of the year. So, watching that film, you feel bad for her because she represented everything we showed in that game, which was effort and fight and toughness and grit.”
The Canes’ other seniors — Kelsey Marshall, Taylor Mason, Endia Banks — have stepped up in the absence of Gray.
“They decided they could not make up for Mykea’s speed and some of her skill, but boy, they could play harder and grittier and that has been the response I’ve seen,” she said.
Syracuse (3-0) will be the biggest test thus far for the Hurricanes (3-0).
“I have tons of respect for their depth, coaching ability and how hard they play,” Meier said. “Syracuse always finds that run in late third or early fourth where they’re playing all their players, pressing, pressing, pressing and you get all excited because you’re up 10 and then by the time you go and come back from commercial break it’s a tie game. They go on amazing runs and you really have to be composed to beat them.”