ASU women's basketball junior forward Sophie Brunner was one of 12 players named to the U.S. Pan American women's basketball team, Sun Devil Athletics said in a statement Sunday.
Brunner, along with teammate Katie Hempen, were among the 51 players who participated in a three-day trial at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The 6-foot-1 forward earned All-Pac-12 and All-Pac-12 Defensive Honorable Mention honors during a breakthrough year for the Sun Devil program in 2014-15 that saw ASU win 29 games and reach the Sweet 16.
ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne praised Brunner in her official statement.
“This is a great achievement for Sophie,” Turner Thorne said in her statement. “Getting to represent USA Basketball at the Pan American Games will be a tremendous experience as she’ll be playing with the best college players while competing against elite players from other countries. Those of us who are with her in the gym every day know how special she is. As coaches we are excited about this opportunity for Sophie and know she’ll have a lot to contribute to the team.
“It’s wonderful that our program had two players who were invited to USA Basketball’s trials. We are proud of Sophie and Katie and how well they did."
Brunner averaged 11.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game in 2014-15, starting in each of ASU's 35 games.
She was also named to the conference All-Tournament team after averaging 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game during the Pac-12 Tournament.
Brunner is one of just two members of the Pac-12 named to the team, as she is joined by Kelsey Plum of Washington.
Hempen, who was not selected to the team after receiving an invite to participate in the trials, led the Sun Devils with 12.0 points per game last season.
The U.S. Pan American women's basketball team will regroup in Colorado on July 3 before going to Toronto, Canada, for the competition on July 8.
The Pan American Games' women's basketball tournament will take place in Toronto, Canada, from July 16-20.
Team USA will be a part of Group A in the tournament, with match ups against Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
Reach the reporter at fardaya@asu.edu or follow @fardaya15 on Twitter.
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