Tiana Mangakahia, a former Hutchinson Community College women's basketball player whose story of resilience inspired fans around the world, died Thursday at the age of 30.
Mangakahia, originally from Brisbane, Australia, attended HutchCC from 2015 to 2017 but was ruled ineligible to compete under NJCAA rules because she had previously signed an amateur contract in her home country. Despite never playing a game for the Blue Dragons, she became a fixture around the program before transferring to Syracuse in 2017.
At Syracuse, Mangakahia quickly rose to national prominence. She led the nation in assists and earned first-team All-ACC honors, establishing herself as one of the premier point guards in women’s college basketball.
Her career was interrupted in June 2019, when she was diagnosed with Stage 2, Grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma. She underwent chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, and was declared cancer-free in November 2019. Mangakahia sat out the 2019 season but returned in 2020, averaging 11.4 points, 7.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the Orange.
Following graduation, she played professionally in Russia and in the Women’s National Basketball League in Australia. She retired in 2023 after her cancer returned.
Just last week, Mangakahia revealed on social media that her health had taken “a negative turn” and that she was “experiencing significant physical decline.”
Mangakahia’s journey from Hutchinson to Syracuse to the professional ranks, and through the fight of her life against cancer left a lasting impact on teammates, coaches and fans on both sides of the globe.