Feature photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics
While some college basketball athletes may view summer as the offseason, Maryland women’s basketball’s Brionna Jones and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough see it as a time to sharpen their skills by playing internationally alongside some of the country’s best athletes.
Jones and Walker-Kimbrough were both selected Sunday to represent the U.S. this summer on teams of 12, Jones by way of the Women’s World University Games team and Walker-Kimbrough as part of the Pan-American Games women’s team.
Walker-Kimbrough joins 2015 Associated Press Player of the Year and 2015 NCAA National Champion Breanna Stewart of the UConn Huskies as well as Stewart’s teammate and fellow National Champion, Moriah Jefferson. Also on the roster is South Carolina’s Tiffany Mitchell, who led the Gamecocks to an overall record of 34-3 this season with a team-high 14.4 points per game.
Walker-Kimbrough is no stranger to accolades either, earning a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team and being named the Spokane Regional Most Outstanding Player during this year’s NCAA tournament. She averaged 13.3 points per game as a sophomore this season, and will travel to Toronto to compete in the Pan-American Games from July 16-20.
Jones led the Terps in rebounding (328 total) and blocks (49 total) on the year and was also named to the 2015 All-Big Ten First Team. She worked her way to a spot on the Academic All-Big Ten Team as well while starting every game during her sophomore campaign. She will play with Big Ten peer Aerial Powers of Michigan State and Duke guard Rebecca Greenwell. The Women’s World University Games will take place in Gwangju, South Korea, starting July 4 and running through July 13.
While this summer’s play will mark both Terps’ rookie seasons with U.S. Basketball, the talent they have each displayed thus far at Maryland has proven them ready to make their mark on a global scale.
Gillian Vesely
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