Tiana Mangakahia continues inspirational journey back from cancer in Phoenix Mercury's training camp

Tiana Mangakahia's basketball story is now inseparable from her coping with cancer, and she's at peace with that intersection.

"One of the players asked me the other day, is it weird to feel like that's the girl that got cancer when people meet you," Mangakahia said. "I never thought of it like that. It doesn't affect me.

"I get a lot of messages from other people who were diagnosed with breast cancer. That's a reason why I shared my story in the first place is to help others who go through it to know you can achieve anything if you continue to push through and stay strong."

Maybe that's because she already showed in her senior season at Syracuse that there's plenty to talk about basketball-wise, as she led the nation for a second time in assists per game despite a season off for cancer treatment.

The 5-6 Mangakahia averaged 7.2 assists for the Orange in a 15-9, NCAA Tournament second-round season. That was down from 9.8 in 2017-18 when she also led the nation, and 8.4 in 2018-19 when she was second, giving her a career average 8.6. She was among five finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the nation's top point guard, this season and in 2018-19 and a top-10 finalist in 2017-18.

"This season was very different for me," she said. "I've always been a passing point guard, but my style of play was a little different because of the medication I was on. I wasn't as quick as I used to be. But I thought I did really well considering everything I've been through."

She went through a lot from June-November 2019 to combat stage 2, grade 3 breast cancer, including eight rounds of chemotherapy and a bilateral mastectomy. She returned to game action for the first time Nov. 29, 2000, and had 10 or more assists in six games during 2020-21.

She required 18 months of post-surgery hormonal treatment, which "had a big impact on my weight," Mangakahia said. "It was very difficult for me to lose weight. That was the main side effect that affected my game."

The good news is that for now Mangakahia is off her medication going into her attempt to make it into the WNBA and onto the Australian Olympic team.

Although she was not drafted April 15, Mangakahia had free agent offers from Phoenix and Minnesota, choosing the Mercury in part because of the opportunity to be around Sandy Brondello, who also will coach the Australian Opals at the Tokyo Olympics.

Mercury training camp opens Sunday with 12 of 18 players on hand from the start. The Mercury only have room for 11 on their final roster due to salary cap limitations.

"My coach at Syracuse said being here will help with the Australian selection, just being able to show what I can do," said Mangakahia, who missed the most recent Opals camp because of the NCAA Tournament. "I just felt Sandy knows my style of play and it would be a great opportunity for me."

Australian forward Alanna Smith is going into her third season with the Mercury and Aussie forward Sara Blicavs also is in camp. Mangakahia, 26, from Brisbane, teamed with Smith at the 2012 U17 World Championships and was at the Australian Institute of Sport with Blicavs.

Brondello faces some difficult cuts with both of her teams but particularly in trimming the Opals from 22 to 12 given that the next Olympic opportunity isn't until 2024.

"It would mean so much to me to be able to represent Australia at the Olympics," Mangakahia said. "It's always been my dream growing up, watching Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor. It would be so amazing."

First, though, she is intent on absorbing what she can from being in camp with All-WNBA guards Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

"Just (seeing) their mindset coming into the gym every day, watching their work ethic and how they communicate with their players and as leaders," she said. "Also asking them questions about different plays."

Reach the reporter at jeff.metcalfe@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8053. Follow him on Twitter @jeffmetcalfe.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: WNBA Mercury camp next up in Tiana Mangakahia's inspirational journey