Possible Final Four team this year and freshman POY in the Big 10. Nope, she's not going anywhere.
This story paints a different picture which suggests the timing may be right for her:
Starting forward Shakira Austin is transferring from Maryland, leaving the Terrapins with just one returning starter next season. Austin, a 6-foot-5 sophomore who most often played as a true center, is the second Terp to enter the transfer portal this week after fellow sophomore center Olivia Owens announced her decision Wednesday.
Austin’s departure is a significant blow to Maryland, which ended its shortened season with a Big Ten tournament championship this month. The sophomore from Virginia gave the Terps a significant height advantage against most Big Ten teams and averaged 12 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, second on the team in both categories. Owens, who played behind Austin, redshirted this year after a bout of mononucleosis in the fall.
Just as meaningful is that the departures leave Maryland with only eight roster players for the 2020-21 season — just as it finally looked as if the Terps had rebounded from a rash of transfers in 2017 that left the roster undermanned.
Sophomore guard Taylor Mikesell will be the lone full-time returning starter, although freshman point guard Ashley Owusu started 16 games, most of which were nonconference contests at the start of the season. Junior point guard Channise Lewis, who missed the entire year after she tore the lateral meniscus in her left knee during the preseason, will be the team’s only senior.