Augustavo shoots away

for UW squad

Michelle Augustavo’s basketball file is filled with highlights that most players only dream about. The ball swishing through the net and victories piling up is the script for her reality hoops show.

She first made her mark in 2000 when her St. Brendan eighth-grade girls team completed a 65-game, five-year winning streak.

A year later, the Bothell native helped lead Bishop Blanchet to second place at the 3A state tournament. As a senior, the Braves snagged fifth at state.

In 2005, she scorched the nets with a University of San Diego school-record 42 points against Clemson.

And now, she’s finishing off her senior year by playing locally once again at the University of Washington with a throng of family and friends in the stands.

“The best part is being home. I’m from a huge family, and it’s exciting to be able to play in front of them. I’ve got grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends I went to high school with. They’ve seen me grow up,” Augustavo said last Wednesday before hitting the road for a pair of Pac-10 games in Oregon.

She had hope in her voice as the Huskies were battling a 10-game losing streak — a rarity for the 6-foot forward/guard who’s averaging 5.8 points, 1.4 assists and 20.6 minutes played per game. UW was 1-12 in conference and 5-18 overall at the Reporter’s deadline.

“We’re staying strong and continuing to push forward, focusing on the bright side of things,” said Augustavo, in her second year at UW. “We’re gonna fight like crazy and we’re gonna flip it around.

“I try to stay optimistic through everything,” the 3-point specialist added. “My motto is, ‘Attitude is Everything.’ I tell our other senior Heidi McNeil, ‘Play each day to its fullest, play your butt off — we’ve got nothing to lose.’”

Everything was working for Augustavo the night of Dec. 11, 2005, when she sunk the 42 points at Clemson. The game was “surreal” for both player and mom, who followed the game via the Internet and thought something was wrong with the stat tracker when the points kept piling up. Although Augustavo nailed nearly every shot — including one that hit the top of the backboard and fell into the hoop — San Diego lost the game by three points.

“I didn’t even feel like I was living it at the time,” said Augustavo, who scored 20 points against Clemson this season. “I think I was in a crazy zone. It was nuts.”

But San Diego was not ideal for Augustavo, who liked playing there and made some good friends, but missed home. While she did stay with the Christy family from St. Brendan down south, Seattle beckoned.

“I was lonely, not being able to see my family for months at a time. It was hard,” she said. “I admire our player (Nicole Romeo from Australia) from overseas.”

Augustavo is both a good fit with the UW style of play and with her Husky teammates. The players call her “Team Mom” and she refers to them as her “babies,” noting that it will be sad to pass them off at the end of the season.

Coaching college basketball is on Augustavo’s to-do list as her final season winds down. She’s been through 18 different head and assistant coaches during her college career and feels she can draw off that diversity and adversity to be successful on and off the court.

On coaching, the fall UW graduate who earned an English degree said: “I’m gonna be just so positive. Teaching them discipline and earning respect from your players … I agree with that, but beating kids down (is unnecessary).”

From her early days at St. Brendan to playing with the big girls at UW, basketball has always been a big deal to Augustavo. She’s lived and breathed it for so long that it’s ingrained in her mind, body and soul.

She simply can’t live without it.

“I’m truly passionate about basketball,” she said. “I still get up every day, I love it and have fun when I play. I don’t take any day for granted. My days are coming to an end with college, and it’s gonna be bittersweet, for sure.

“I’ve had a long journey and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”