The Fort Bend Austin girls varsity basketball program finished the season with a record of 15-1 in 6A Region III District 20 and were named co-district champions, a title they shared with the Hightower Hurricanes. Fort Bend Austin made a deep playoff run, but it came to an end in the regional quarterfinals with an 81-74 loss to Katy Seven Lakes. This season Austin had the pieces, heart, drive, and exceptional shooting from several of their guards.
One of those was Saint Louis University commit, Shun’teria Anumele.
“She’s great, very hard working. She’s a scorer,” said Fort Bend Austin head coach Laqueisha Dickerson. “Every time she puts the uniform on she plays hard. She practices the same way she plays. Oftentimes you hear coaches having to tell their players to go game speed, but she never cheats the game. Anytime she steps on the floor, whether it’s practice or training, when she steps on the floor she is locked in.”
Anumele has been described as a competitive guard who thrives in the open court. She can drive past any defender but is also a legitimate pull-up threat. She studies the game of two-time Big Ten tournament MVP Ashley Owusu, four-time NBA champion Lebron James, and three-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale.
“I like Ashley Owusu because she’s a bigger aggressive guard. She’s one of those guards that doesn’t have a very athletic body but she puts in work, like me. Lebron and Arike, they’re both just aggressive athletic dogs like me,” said Anumele.
Anumele began playing basketball in the 5th grade when an AAU coach saw her playing in the neighborhood. Anumele carried this newly found love for basketball with her to Hoffman Middle School for 7th grade and Crockett Middle School for 8th grade.
“My freshman year I attended Ft. Bend Travis and I made the varsity team. It was a lot of pressure early on because it was a lot of girls and I felt I had to hold a certain standard. But I knew I had the talent to be in the same room with them, so over time it became easier,” said Anumele.
Shun’teria Anumele
IG: @shunbballin
Twitter: @shunbballin
Position: Shooting guard
Height & weight: 5-feet-9, 160 pounds
Players she studies: Ashley Owusu (Penn State), Lebron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings)
Status: Committed to Saint Louis University
Favorite artist: NoCap
Favorite subject: English
Shout-outs: My parents, Coach Richard, Coach Trey Phillips and Coach J
Second semester Anumele left Ft. Bend Travis and attended Lutheran North. During the summer of her sophomore season, in search of a better academic route, Anumele attempted to enroll at St. Pius. However, miscommunication about being on scholarship caused her to go back to Travis High School. After going back to Travis High School the coach denied her transfer and the UIL labeled her as ineligible which caused her to have to sit out her entire sophomore season.
At this point, Anumele had only played a total of six games in two years. After her parents purchased land in the Brookshire area, Anumele moved and attended Brookshire Royal. In past cases where she was denied transfer and ruled ineligible by the UIL, this time the UIL ruled in her favor, and she was allowed to play her junior season. It was during this season that Anumele knew she had something special.
“I was a late bloomer. I was one of those kids who went into my junior year and didn’t have any college offers, so it was scary for me,” said Anumele. “I just kept working. Once I began to receive offers, that’s when my confidence boosted and I knew I was a division one player.”
For her senior season, Anumele came back to Fort Bend and enrolled at Ft. Bend Austin. With only playing two full high school basketball seasons, Anumele crossed a milestone most high school athletes can only imagine.
“Breaking 1,000 points felt good. Freshman year I only played six games then sophomore year, I didn’t play at all because of UIL. So only playing two years and accomplishing that was big for me,” said Anumele.
Anumele not only lived up to the hype but surpassed 1,000 points and ended her high school career with 1,562 points. This relentless ability to score, work, and play hard is what caught the attention of Saint Louis University.
“The coaches were genuine, they showed they wanted me for basketball and to become a better person as well. The players were great, and the environment of the school felt good. I felt like it was a place I could excel not only in basketball but in life,” said Anumele.
While at Saint Louis Anumele plans to study animal science with the hopes of becoming a veterinarian when her basketball days are over.
Anumele is more than just a basketball player. She has a heart for giving and it shows as she donates her time and toys during the holidays to children in need.
“Every Christmas I give out blankets and food to the homeless with the police officers. I also give out toys to the children in the Third Ward and Northside area, just making sure the kids have a nice Christmas,” said Anumele.
