photo credit: Masanori Udagawa
Strap yourself in Whai fans, the Mikayla Cowling show is about to crank up again and this MC plays a beat you can all dance to.
The Whai's star American WNBA import is all class, as we all got to see last season when Cowling made the Tauihi All-Star 5 and was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year. Her per game averages were next level at 23.1 points a 45.2%, 9.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.9 steals.
Cowling scored 25-plus points on seven occasions and dropped six double-doubles, of which one was with 10 assists.
A product of St Mary's and its prestigious women's basketball programme, Cowling was drafted in 2018 at pick 33 by Connecticut Sun before ending up with the Atlanta Dream in 2021. Her career has also taken her to Europe.
Such was her impact in New Zealand last year, and emphasising her importance to the Whai, Cowling played all 14 games and averaged more minutes per game (37.3) than any other player in the competition.
And while we might possibly see a similar number of minutes from the 187-centimeter forward this season, Cowling now has a number of teammates capable of helping out with some big points hauls - namely WNBA drafted and prolific scorer Ashley Joens, Australian dasher Morgan Yaeger, 2022 Tauihi top scoring American Laina Snyder, Australian center Lara McSpadden, and Kiwi three-point specialist McKenna Dale.
The other big plus for incoming Whai head coach Alex Sojkovic is Cowling is one of the most versatile players in Tauihi, capable of playing inside and outside, her ability to change tempo is an asset and boy does she play with great stamina and intensity.
When it come to this year's roster build, there is no question coach Stojkovic has recruited players to carefully place around Cowling, ensuring his star import will still be the leader and go-to player, but now supported with a lot more firepower and talent.
Which role Cowling is more likely to play remains an unknown. Depending on who joins her in the starting line-up, Cowling could settle in anywhere from small forward to center.
Make no mistake, if Cowling brings the heat again this season, the Whai will be on fire.
