As she slowly walked toward the Baylor logo on the court inside the Ferrell Center, Shakira Austin was overcome with emotion. Players from South Dakota, the first-round opponent for Ole Miss in the recent NCAA women’s basketball tournament, had begun to celebrate nearby behind the Rebels’ senior center. The final seconds trickled off the scoreboard in the Coyotes’ 75–61 victory. Austin bent over as heartbreaking tears rolled from her eyes.
Her college basketball career, one that had been filled with valiant risks and change, had come to an end. In the teary eyes of the 6'5" star, who had been one of the nation’s most dynamic players this season, it showed that this was not how she wanted to end her Ole Miss career.