Forward Brionna Jones looks to block a shot during UCONN’s 81-58 win over Maryland in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida on April 5, 2015.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough returned to College Park last week, and her Terrapins women’s basketball teammates were eager to hear about her trip to Toronto. The same went for Brionna Jones, who traveled to Gwangju, South Korea, earlier in the month.
Both of the juniors had what Walker-Kimbrough called an “experience of a lifetime,” but it wasn’t a summer vacation.
Walker-Kimbrough competed for the U.S. women’s basketball team in the Pan American Games from July 16-20, and Jones represented the U.S. at the World University Games from July 4-13. The Terps’ top two returning scorers gained international experience to bring to the Terps this season.
“When you come back into the states, you’ve already been through those kind of extreme experiences, so you just get layered with great experience,” coach Brenda Frese said. “We’re going to be leaning on Bri and Shatori to play even a bigger role for us this year, and they’ve shown that they’re more than capable of it.”
Jones and the U.S. team took home gold in South Korea after posting a 6-0 record, capped by an 82-64 victory against Canada in the championship. The 6-foot-3 center averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in the tournament.
Perhaps Jones’ best stretch came in the Americans’ third and fourth contests. She posted 13 points and 13 rebounds in the 92-54 win over the Czech Republic.
Three days later, Jones led the U.S. in the quarterfinals with 15 points on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and seven rebounds to beat Hungary, 84-43. She also added two blocks and two steals.
“That was the game that everything clicked for our team,” Jones said. “It was at that point I knew we could win the gold medal.”
Shortly after Jones arrived home from South Korea, Walker-Kimbrough and the U.S. Pan American team opened play in Toronto. She averaged 10.2 points and 2.6 rebounds as the U.S. took home the silver medal.
The 5-foot-11 guard earned a starting spot in the final three contests of the tournament, and her top performance came in the Americans’ 65-64 semifinal victory against Cuba. Walker-Kimbrough’s 15 points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists helped the U.S. overcome an 11-point halftime deficit.
“Shatori is a success story in and of its own,” said Frese, who attended Walker-Kimbrough’s game against Puerto Rico. “She wasn’t recruited at a high level, wasn’t viewed as an All-American and now she’s starting in the backcourt with two UConn players.”
The relationships Jones and Walker-Kimbrough formed with their teammates and coaching staffs on the national teams proved valuable, too.
With no TV access in South Korea, Jones formed close bonds with her teammates off the court. Plus, getting to know rivals, such as Michigan State forward Aerial Powers, has given Jones added motivation for conference and postseason play.
Likewise, Walker-Kimbrough was one of six players on the U.S. Pan American roster to play in the 2015 Final Four. Despite their competition in school, Walker-Kimbrough and her team still talk in their group message, a testament to the relationships they built in their short time together.
“We went against national grown women who have been playing for a month or two months and have a lot more chemistry and experience,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “If I can take anything back, it would definitely be that just building a relationship with my teammates at Maryland and just getting to know them even better.”
Walker-Kimbrough’s and Jones’ coaches also came from other Big Ten programs — Iowa’s Lisa Bluder and Northwestern’s Joe McKeown, respectively. Hearing fresh voices approach a scheme in a new manner helped the players develop a better sense of the game.
“There were some teams that the game was tougher than I thought it would be,” Jones said. “I learned how to look at things from different perspectives, like how our coaches that we had there saw it as opposed to how coach [Frese] would see it.”
This summer was both players’ first time playing internationally, and they said the experience they gained from their new coaches, teammates and surroundings prepared them for leadership roles with the Terps moving forward.
“Playing not only with the United States of America, for the United States of America, just playing alongside the great players the country has to offer,” Walker-Kimbrough said. “It was an honor.”
