The 19-year-old point guard could be a first-round top 12 pick in Friday's WNBA draft after a stellar WNBL season with Townsville last year.

And after recovering from breast cancer, Tiana Mangakahia is likely to go in the second or third round as talk of retiring her jersey at Syracuse University grows.

The pair are fighting for a spot in Sandy Brondello's Opals team that's hunting gold at Tokyo's Olympics in July.

Brondello was among the first Australians to play in the American league in 1998 and a long-time coach of the Phoenix Mercury, who hold pick No.32 but are chasing a centre so unlikely to add either Australian guard to their roster.

But she expects whoever does choose the pair to profit.

"Shyla's a good kid, super skilled, good pick-and-roll player who can score off the dribble or shoot threes and passes well," Brondello told AAP.

"That'll make her a pretty good pro, but it's that fearlessness that stands out.

"If she has one quiet game she's not going to have two quiet games; there's no fear, no intimidation factor and she believes in herself, she won't back down."

It's no surprise given her surname, father Shane famously going toe-to-toe with Dream Team star Charles Barkley in an Olympic Games warm-up in 1996.

Shyla had 30 and 28-point hauls in back-to-back WNBL finals games as the Fire reached the decider, showing she was made of the same stuff.

"I'm thinking she'll be a first-round pick and she'll come in with no fear, she'll be ready," Brondello said.

Mangakahia missed almost two years of competitive basketball because of her illness, undergoing eight rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

She made a triumphant return, finishing with an NCAA-best 7.5 assists through 20 games this season and the chance to become the first woman athlete to have her jersey retired at Syracuse University.

"What a great college career; I really like Tiana and she's had to face some battles these last two years, but so great to see her back out there," Brondello said.

"She was the next point guard coming through before her diagnosis, but she'll get better and better now."

The WNBA's 25th season tips off on May 14, with emerging Opals star Ezi Magbegor back for defending champions Seattle and All-Star Liz Cambage to play for Las Vegas after sitting out last season's bubble-style tournament.

Australian Associated Press