Syracuse point guard Tiana Mangakahia will return for her senior season with the Orange, SU Athletics announced in a release Monday morning. The news comes a full week after SU lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to South Dakota State.

“After a lot of consideration, I have decided to return for my senior season at Syracuse,” Mangakahia said in the release. “Over the last two years my teammates and I have accomplished so much but I know we have only scratched the surface of our true potential. I hope to make this upcoming season my best yet and look forward to seeing our fans supporting us all across the country.”

In her junior season, the star guard averaged 16.9 points and 8.4 assists per game. Against the Jackrabbits in Syracuse’s season-ending loss, Mangakahia passed Alexis Peterson for sole leadership of SU’s all-time assist record. She enters her junior season as the best assist-getter in Syracuse history.

After the Orange’s loss on March 26, Mangakahia said she’s “scared” for the future. She had been fed questions on her possible departure all season long and never gave any strong indication. At the postgame press conference, before the advancing South Dakota State team took the stands, the junior joked that she’d enter the draft if “teams want me.”

Many in the locker room after the loss to the Jackrabbits discussed Mangakahia’s legacy, and the difficulty of moving forward without its star guard. As much as SU’s offense is based on a series of margin-based statistics, the triple-doubles, the star partnerships and the efficient play from Mangakahia were often what kept Syracuse afloat.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Mangakahia said after SU’s season-ending loss. “Even if I was to stay, it’s scary. I don’t know what’s going to happen next year. If I was to leave, it’s scary because I don’t know what I’m going to be in. It’s scary, but on both ends… because I have so many options and decisions I need to make… Every year is different. No matter what team you’re in. You’re not going to play with the same people ever again.”

At 591 career assists, Mangakahia is 278 assists away from the all-time assists record. And 300 more assists would place her 16th on the all-time NCAA women’s basketball assists leaderboard. If she maintains her same scoring and steals averages for next season, she will end her Syracuse career seventh in both categories.

“I am extremely excited that Tiana is returning,” said head coach Quentin Hillsman. “The experience that we will have in our backcourt is exciting and promising for next year.”

Mangakahia mentioned her best memories lie off the court and many of her teammates agreed. Ultimately, it was enough for her to return for one last year.

Published on April 1, 2019 at 11:42 am

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