Ole Miss' Shakira Austin selected third overall in 2022 WNBA Draft

It did not take long for Shakira Austin to hear her name called and her dream realized as he she was the third overall pick during the 2022 WNBA Draft on Monday.

Austin, who spent the last two seasons at Ole Miss, was selected by the Washington Mystics and is the first Rebel taken in the WNBA Draft since Bianca Thomas was selected 12th overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2010 Draft. She ties Armintie (Price) Herrington as the highest draft pick in program history. Herrington was selected third overall by the Chicago Sky in 2007.

For Austin it will be a homecoming of sorts. She will play in Washington, D.C. which is roughly an hour from her hometown of Fredericksburg, Va.

“It’s just amazing, just knowing that the work that I’ve put in, to finally get to this moment and to be able to play back home but knowing that my slate starts over, I’m back at zero,” Austin said moments after being drafted. “Just remaining humble, continuing to work and believing in the work that I put in, and knowing that the journey that I got here was because of the work that I put in. That’s just where I’m headed.”

Transferring from Maryland to join Rebels head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin in the summer of 2020, Austin instantly provided a major presence in the post.

She helped lead the program to the WNIT Championship game in 2021 and the first NCAA Women’s Tournament berth since 2007 last month.

In her two seasons as a Rebel Austin averaged nearly a 50 percent shooting percentage (49.1). She nearly had a career double-double average with the Rebels, scoring 16.8 points per game and pulling down nine rebounds a night.

Austin played the five position both seasons in Oxford but at the next level that has not been determined if she will stay there or move to the four as a Mystic.

“Yeah, we haven’t discussed much about if I’m going to play a specific position,” Austin said. “For me it’s just about maintaining my energy coming into the pros. I’m really just focused on my defense. I’m pretty sure that’s going to be able to translate easier than my offense, and that’s going to get me time on the floor and that’ll build my confidence as well.

“Just not expecting too much from myself is really where I’m headed mentally, but also knowing that I’m playing for somebody who understands my game, and it doesn’t matter if I’m at the five or the four, it’s just about getting that time on the floor.”

This year, Austin earned three Honorable All-America designations by the AP, USWBA and the WBCA as well as being named First Team All-SEC for the second season in a row. The center was also awarded the Gillom Trophy as the best collegiate women’s basketball player in the state of Mississippi. Austin also eclipsed the 1,000-career rebound mark this past season and became one of seven active players in Division I this past season with 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

After two outstanding performances at the SEC Tournament, she was named to the All-Tournament team after dropping a season-high 27 points against Florida all while breaking the program record with the most blocked shots in a tournament game at six. Austin led the Rebels this year, averaging 15.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. The center was also Lisa Leslie Award-Top 10 finalist, awarded to the best center in the nation.