Maryland women’s basketball’s Shakira Austin to transfer from the program

Maryland women’s basketball suffered its second loss of the week as sophomore Shakira Austin intends to transfer from the program, a team spokesperson confirmed to Testudo Times.

This decision comes just two days after fellow center Olivia Owens announced her decision to leave the program after a redshirt season in 2019-20.

At 6’5, Austin was part of a two-headed monster inside alongside senior Stephanie Jones. She was second on the team with 12 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in her sophomore season, while starting in 26 of 32 games, to earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors.

In her freshman season, Austin made a name for herself inside by averaging 8.4 points and 9.5 rebounds, but put in effort during the offseason to increase her productivity and consistency on offense.

With Austin and Owens departing the program, there is now an instant need for players next season at the forward position. Maryland is a team that often dominated teams with its array of tall talents, but now Diamond Miller, Mimi Collins and incoming freshman Angel Reese are the tallest players at 6’3.