PHOENIX – Promise Amukamara, who last month helped lead the Arizona State University women’s basketball team to the NCAA Sweet 16, was selected by the hometown Phoenix Mercury in Thursday’s WNBA Draft.
Amukamara, a 5-8 guard, was selected by the Mercury in the third round (36th overall selection), becoming the first Sun Devil to be drafted into the WNBA since Briann January was selected by the Indiana Fever in the 2009 Draft.
Amukamara played in every single one of ASU’s 131 games over the last four seasons, recording starts in 97 of those contests. She concluded her Sun Devil career in sixth place on ASU’s all-time steals list with 209 and third in career steals in NCAA Tournament games (10). A two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive selection, Amukamara earned All-Pac-12 honors in 2015. She started every game of her senior season and finished first on the team in steals (1.83 spg - seventh in the Pac-12), third in scoring (10.9 ppg), free throws made (63), field goal percentage (47.2) and free throw percentage (75.0) and fourth in rebounds (3.6 rpg - ASU’s top rebounding guard) and assists (2.0 apg). Amukamara, who earned a pair of Pac-12 Player of the Week awards in 2015, scored in double figures 21 times and led ASU in scoring (13.1 ppg) during the team’s 14-game winning streak (shot 52.5 percent during that stretch).
In 2015 Amukamara played a major role in helping lead the Sun Devils to 29 wins (second-highest total in school history) and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which matched ASU's highest ever placement in the 64-team field. The Sun Devils finished as the runner-up in the Pac-12 with a 15-3 record and would eventually advance to the NCAA Sweet 16.