By Craig Morgan, thesundevils.com Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Sophie Brunner took a realistic approach to her tryout with the Phoenix Mercury this spring. She wasn't selected in the three rounds of the 2017 WNBA Draft and here she was, an unheralded rookie stepping into an organization that had won three titles in the league's 20-year history.
"I'm not going to say I didn't think I could make it, but I knew it would be a long shot," Brunner said. "There were so many great players out there."
Sun Devils coach Charli Turner Thorne had other thoughts.
"I tried to stay on her," Turner Thorne said. "I told her: 'Go take a spot. You're good enough. You can play in this league so don't just be thinking, 'I hope it works out.'"
Brunner left it all out on the court, like she always does, and when the Mercury finalized its roster on Saturday, she made the cut. The Mercury opened their season on Sunday at home against the Dallas Wings.
"It was really cool to be a part of that," Brunner said. "Just to be on the roster is a dream come true. It's an opportunity for me to get better every day and learn from the best players in the world."
As luck would have it, one of those players is guard Diana Taurasi. When Brunner walked into the Mercury locker room for the first time, she noticed that her stall was right next to Taurasi's, creating an awe-struck moment. It passed quickly when Taurasi entered the locker room to greet everyone, including the newcomers.
"She came in and said 'hi' and gave everyone a hug," Brunner said. "She's so cool. I never felt intimidated by her or BT (Brittney Griner). They're such good people and they help all of us."
If she hadn't made the Mercury roster, Brunner's backup plan was to first return home to Freeport, Illinois, to see family, and then to play overseas. That is something she will still likely do since the seasons do not overlap much and the added play offers the opportunity for additional income.
In the meantime, she is adjusting to the lifestyle in the pros, preparing to move into a new apartment closer to Taking Stick Resort Arena next month, and playing the power forward spot instead of the post, where Phoenix has good depth and a star in Griner.
Brunner is fully cognizant of the fact that she is the 12th player on a 12-woman roster, but Turner Thorne believes this is just the opportunity she needed.
"She's the poster child for the money ball philosophy where you don't judge people by what they look like, you judge them by what they do," Turner Thorne said. "She looks small out there (at 6-1) but she's played the 5 in the highest level, Division I college, and she has outworked and outplayed most of the centers she has matched up with her entire career.
"This kid has never taken a possession off her entire life. She can run hard every possession, rebound every ball, play great defense and do the things you frankly don't always see. When you look at her resume, it sort of screams draft pick, great player."
A starter in 117 of her 128 career games at ASU, Brunner helped lead the Sun Devils to their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017. She concluded her Sun Devil career second on ASU's all-time list in career rebounds (921), third in points (1,405) and field goals (551), eighth in field goal percentage (.523) and ninth in free throws (288).
Off the court, she earned Pac-12 All-Academic recognition three times, including second-team honors this season, and earlier this year was in consideration for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors after being named to the CoSIDA All-District 8 Team.
"She's just a winner," Turner Thorne said. "She just finds a way to get the job done. It was a privilege to coach her and I'm so grateful that the Mercury gave her this shot."
ASU's WNBA history
2017 Sophie Brunner
(free agent, Phoenix Mercury)
2015 Promise Amukamara
(3rd round, 36th pick, Phoenix Mercury)
2012 Dymond Simon
(free agent, Phoenix Mercury)
2009 Briann January
(1st round, 6th pick, Indiana Fever)
2007 Emily Westerberg
(3rd round, 37th pick, Phoenix Mercury)
Aubree Johnson
(free agent, Phoenix Mercury)
2002 Melody Johnson
(4th round, 50th pick, Portland Fire)
Amanda Levens
(free agent, Charlotte Sting)
1997 Kym Hampton
(1st round, 4th pick,
New York Liberty – Elite Draft)
Monique Ambers
(4th round, Phoenix Mercury)
Ryneldi Becenti
(free agent, Phoenix Mercury)
Molly Tuter
(free agent, Phoenix Mercury)
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Sophie Brunner took a realistic approach to her tryout with the Phoenix Mercury this spring. She wasn't selected in the three rounds of the 2017 WNBA Draft and here she was, an unheralded rookie stepping into an organization that had won three titles in the league's 20-year history.
"I'm not going to say I didn't think I could make it, but I knew it would be a long shot," Brunner said. "There were so many great players out there."
Sun Devils coach Charli Turner Thorne had other thoughts.
"I tried to stay on her," Turner Thorne said. "I told her: 'Go take a spot. You're good enough. You can play in this league so don't just be thinking, 'I hope it works out.'"
Brunner left it all out on the court, like she always does, and when the Mercury finalized its roster on Saturday, she made the cut. The Mercury opened their season on Sunday at home against the Dallas Wings.
"It was really cool to be a part of that," Brunner said. "Just to be on the roster is a dream come true. It's an opportunity for me to get better every day and learn from the best players in the world."
As luck would have it, one of those players is guard Diana Taurasi. When Brunner walked into the Mercury locker room for the first time, she noticed that her stall was right next to Taurasi's, creating an awe-struck moment. It passed quickly when Taurasi entered the locker room to greet everyone, including the newcomers.
"She came in and said 'hi' and gave everyone a hug," Brunner said. "She's so cool. I never felt intimidated by her or BT (Brittney Griner). They're such good people and they help all of us."
If she hadn't made the Mercury roster, Brunner's backup plan was to first return home to Freeport, Illinois, to see family, and then to play overseas. That is something she will still likely do since the seasons do not overlap much and the added play offers the opportunity for additional income.
In the meantime, she is adjusting to the lifestyle in the pros, preparing to move into a new apartment closer to Taking Stick Resort Arena next month, and playing the power forward spot instead of the post, where Phoenix has good depth and a star in Griner.
Brunner is fully cognizant of the fact that she is the 12th player on a 12-woman roster, but Turner Thorne believes this is just the opportunity she needed.
"She's the poster child for the money ball philosophy where you don't judge people by what they look like, you judge them by what they do," Turner Thorne said. "She looks small out there (at 6-1) but she's played the 5 in the highest level, Division I college, and she has outworked and outplayed most of the centers she has matched up with her entire career.
"This kid has never taken a possession off her entire life. She can run hard every possession, rebound every ball, play great defense and do the things you frankly don't always see. When you look at her resume, it sort of screams draft pick, great player."
A starter in 117 of her 128 career games at ASU, Brunner helped lead the Sun Devils to their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017. She concluded her Sun Devil career second on ASU's all-time list in career rebounds (921), third in points (1,405) and field goals (551), eighth in field goal percentage (.523) and ninth in free throws (288).
Off the court, she earned Pac-12 All-Academic recognition three times, including second-team honors this season, and earlier this year was in consideration for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors after being named to the CoSIDA All-District 8 Team.
"She's just a winner," Turner Thorne said. "She just finds a way to get the job done. It was a privilege to coach her and I'm so grateful that the Mercury gave her this shot."
ASU's WNBA history
2017 Sophie Brunner
(free agent, Phoenix Mercury)
2015 Promise Amukamara
(3rd round, 36th pick, Phoenix Mercury)
2012 Dymond Simon
(free agent, Phoenix Mercury)
2009 Briann January
(1st round, 6th pick, Indiana Fever)
2007 Emily Westerberg
(3rd round, 37th pick, Phoenix Mercury)
Aubree Johnson
(free agent, Phoenix Mercury)
2002 Melody Johnson
(4th round, 50th pick, Portland Fire)
Amanda Levens
(free agent, Charlotte Sting)
1997 Kym Hampton
(1st round, 4th pick,
New York Liberty – Elite Draft)
Monique Ambers
(4th round, Phoenix Mercury)
Ryneldi Becenti
(free agent, Phoenix Mercury)
Molly Tuter
(free agent, Phoenix Mercury)