USA Rookie Shakira Austin is relentless

SYDNEY (Australia) - When you are teammates with the likes of big names like Breanna Stewart, Kelsey Plum, and A'Ja Wilson, it is easy to get your name lost in the shuffle. Shakira Austin, however, was quick to make sure fans would be more familiar with her name in just her second ever game in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.

"She's been playing well and that's why she made the national team. That's why she got the opportunity to play in the Women's World Cup."

- Cheryl Reeve, USA head coach

The 1.96M (6'5") center is the youngest player on the team and is only a few months removed from playing college basketball at Ole Miss. She is a rookie in many ways, whether it was playing at the professional level last season or playing with Team USA for the first time or playing in her first ever Women's World Cup.

Being put in that situation might be overwhelming for some but so far, Austin has done well to stay composed.

In just her second game at the Women's World Cup against Puerto Rico, Austin recorded 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots to stand out as one of the top performers of the second gameday. She did effectively as well, shooting 50 percent from the field and going 7-9 from the free-throw line.

"She has such great length, she's great in the paint," said Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeve.

This was a perfect display of Austin's strengths in a game. The native of Virginia brings a lot to the table for Team USA and should continue to expand parts of the game where she can do well even more if she continues to emulate her idol.

"I think Candace Parker was pretty much the player I looked up to on the women's side the most," Austin had said in an interview with Northern Virginia. "Just with her versatility, the energy that she brings on the court, nobody can stop her. That's something that I always mirrored. Even on the men's side, Anthony Davis - just versatile players who can do anything they want on the floor. That's what I hope to be."

Versatile players tend to get double-doubles and that's what Austin did, so it seems like she's on track to becoming the player she hopes to become. As a matter of fact, it was the first double-double by a Team USA player at the Women's World Cup in 8 years with the last one recorded by Nnemkadi Ogwumike in 2014.

"This was a fun game for her," said Reeve said of her standout rookie. "She got a lot of minutes and found her way productivity-wise."

With Austin being younger and less "proven" than the others in the team, it might have been easy to question her selection to join Team USA for this Women's World Cup, but this performance (and her coach) confirms her being worthy of the roster spot.

"She's been playing well and that's why she made the national team," said Reeve. "That's why she got the opportunity to play in the Women's World Cup. She made the most of the opportunity and, today, the most of her minutes."

"She's a player who is still learning, but she's learning on the fly and she plays hard. She's athletic, she's long and she's relentless, and those lead to good things."

With an important game against China coming up in the third game, can Austin keep it going? Will she continue to see big minutes on the court and deliver as Team USA aims to stay undefeated with additional firepower on the way? Can she be the second Team USA player since Lisa Leslie in 2002 to recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the Women's World Cup?

No one can be sure just yet, but as coach Reeve said, we can be sure that Shakira Austin will be relentless - and that usually leads to good things for herself and the team.

FIBA