"Courageous, Inspirational." Syracuse University Director Of Athletics John Wildhack Reflects on Tiana Mangakahia's time with the Orange

The 2021 Syracuse women's basketball season has come to an end -- with it, a legendary career, which deserves to be celebrated.

In her time at Syracuse University, Australian born point guard Tiana Mangakahia dazzled Orange fans with her 'Pistol' Pete Maravich like ability to see the floor and find the open player (only if there was a stat that kept track of all the 'ahhhhhs' and the 'ooooooooos' players drew from the crowd because Mangakahia would be near the top of the list.)

On her way to a historic run with the Orange, the 5-foot-6 Brisbane native led the NCAA twice in assists -- once during her sophomore season in which she finished as a top-10 finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award (given to the best point guard in the nation), and again during the 2020-21 campaign after battling breast cancer in which she was selected as a top-five finalist for the same award, cementing her name in Syracuse Athletics history.

Safe to say, Mangakiahia has inspired endless athletes around the world, but her biggest victory came off the court as she battled the aforementioned breast cancer. Mangakahia was diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer in June of 2019, and after a tumultuous, stress-filled, but resilient journey, which included eight rounds of chemotherapy, Syracuse's beloved point guard was announced as "cancer-free."

Although nothing would have made for a better ending than Mangakahia hoisting the NCAA championship and going off into the sunset (as she has declared for the WNBA draft), finishing the season healthy, on the court, and along with her teammates is a special feeling after the adverse times she went through. 

Syracuse University's Director of Athletics, John Wildhack, sat down with the media (virtually, of course) from Indianapolis to reflect on the men's and women's NCAA tournament, and found himself paying a tribute to Mangakahia.

"Courageous, inspirational," Director Wildhack said. "To all of us, to our community, the people everywhere who battle cancer -- to do so, to compete, to lead the country in assists, she is a great, a great player. I hold Tiana in incredibly high regard and I have as much respect for her as anyone. And that respect will never diminish. 10-to-15 years from now, my respect for Tiana will be as strong as it is today."

Whether or not Mangakahia's renowned number 4 will be elevated to the Carrier Dome rafters is still up in the air -- there is no debating that she will forever be remembered as one of the greatest athletes to ever slip on an Orange jersey -- on and off the court.