Walking on, working out

Sequoia Austin thought her basketball career was done when her senior season at Holton-Arms School ended last year.

Despite twice being named one of The Washington Post's All-Met honorable mentions, the 5-foot-5 guard hadn't garnered a single offer to play college basketball.

So she went to Plan B.

"After the whole recruitment period, I was basically left with nothing," Austin said. "I knew once that basketball dream was over for the moment, I wanted a large state school."

For the Greenbelt native, the obvious choice was the university just a short drive away.

But soon after she'd been admitted to the university as a normal student, Austin figured she might as well reach out to Terrapin women's basketball coach Brenda Frese.

By September, after a summer practicing with a team full of players better than she had ever played with, Austin's career had been revived — Frese had added her to the roster as a walk-on.

"Sequoia had actually reached out to me on Facebook," Frese recalled. "I remembered her from when I was recruiting Tianna [Hawkins]. ... I remembered she was a really good, standout guard. Once we got her in the fold and got to know her better, she was a perfect fit for our program."

And while Austin's contributions have largely come outside the scoresheet — she's played a total of 38 minutes this season — she's carved out a niche for herself on the No. 4 seed Terps' deep roster as they approach their NCAA Tournament opener Sunday.

"Sometimes, it's difficult to come in every day and be a scout-team player and know that you're going to have limited minutes," Frese said. "She's hyper and excited to wear the Maryland uniform. That's contagious when you have someone that's that positive and that energetic. Anything she can do to make us better, she's all about."

Even though Austin's place on the bottom of the Terps' depth chart hasn't changed this season, her energy hasn't either. Whether it's her intensity during practice at Comcast Center, where she often dons the number worn by opponent point guards, or her 40 minutes of vocalness from the end of the bench on game day, Austin hasn't lost the feistiness that first drew Frese to her.

"It's unreal, sometimes I want to tell her to be quiet," guard Kim Rodgers joked of her teammate's motor mouth. "She's been great. She's one of those players that never quits."

Austin isn't naturally accustomed to a lesser role — she was Holton-Arms' driving force and a two-time Independent School League All-League selection. Transitioning from a high-school standout to an afterthought on opponents' scouting reports hasn't been easy, especially considering the big jump in talent that Austin has adjusted to this season.

But it hasn't held her back.

"It was definitely tough. It was a huge transition in terms of speed and size," Austin said of her new challenges on the practice floor. "I enjoy it. I'm still more a part of the team than I ever thought I would be. In my spot on the team right now, my role is definitely just to bring energy, and through that I try to work on my own game."

On a team that has welcomed just two walk-ons during Frese's nine-year tenure, Austin's spot on the No. 16 Terps is rewarding enough for her.

But midway through the season, things only got sweeter.

When the team met for a Secret Santa gift exchange during winter break, Austin expected to receive little more than a simple present from one of her teammates.

As the gathering broke up, though, Frese announced she had one more gift to give out: a full scholarship to the team's newest member.

"Obviously, you have to earn it," Frese said. "She did everything above and beyond. She was just floored. She didn't see it coming and obviously broke down in tears."

"Oh, gosh, I was just crying. So emotional," Austin said. "I felt like all my work had finally paid off. ... My parents and I talked about it, and that was the ultimate goal, to pay for my college education. We were like, ‘Maybe next year.'"

Her parents, predictably, were similarly relieved. Not only was the burden of a college tuition lifted, if only for one semester, but Austin's roller-coaster transition from high-school to college basketball was finally complete.

"I don't know what I would be doing [without the team]," Austin said. "Probably just sitting in my dorm room."

And while Austin's standing within the program remains in question as the future of her scholarship is decided — "We want to keep her on if we can," Frese said — she's determined to at least challenge her place in the team's pecking order.

Unlike those walk-on players who might be content with the role of cheerleader for four years — particularly on one of the nation's top teams — Austin sees a future for herself on the court for the Terps, no matter how unlikely that may be.

On a team that has struggled from beyond the arc this year, for instance, Austin thinks she could one day chip in from deep.

"The next step is to, over the summer, just work on my game and get my game up so I can benefit the team in other ways," Austin said.

She's already shown a willingness to launch it from the perimeter. More than half of her field-goal attempts have been 3-pointers, including seven attempts in a Jan. 28 rout of Wake Forest.

And while she has sunk just 15.4 percent of them, her willingness to shoot is the expected translation of the swagger apparent on the practice floor and on the bench.

The last chance for the Comcast Center fan favorite to see the floor this season might be Sunday, when the Terps host No. 13 seed Saint Francis (Pa.) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Red Flash enters the NCAA Tournament as the Northeastern Conference's automatic bid and likely will stand little chance against the Terps' powerful frontline. A potential blowout could mean Austin getting back on the court for one final time this season.