Known as one of the best rebounders and scorers in the nation, Rebekkah Brunson (COL ’04) topped the marquee for the Georgetown women’s basketball team.
It was not a long jump, then, from the top of the Big East to the WNBA. While the men’s basketball program has a tradition of landing people in the first round of the professional draft, Brunson steps out into relatively unknown territory as the 10th pick in this year’s WNBA draft. Although she has spent her life in the D.C. metro area, Brunson will now pack up and head west to Sacramento, joining the Monarchs for this summer’s season.
“We’re proud of Becky’s status as number 10 in the draft,” Georgetown Head Coach Pat Knapp said. “It’s well deserved and she has worked hard in her career.”
Brunson, a 6-foot-3 forward, boasts an impressive resume that made her attractive in this year’s selection.
This year alone, she took Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors as well as returned to her spot on the all-Big East First Team. She led the conference in both scoring (20.4 points per game) and rebounding (11.3 rebounds per game). She was also the first Georgetown female to pull down 1,000 rebounds and finished in second on the Georgetown career-scoring list with 1,762 points.
She has captured the conference rebounding crown three times in four years and won a silver medal in 2003 as a member of Team USA in the Pan-American Games, leading the team in scoring. Since finishing her season, she has also competed in several all-star games in anticipation of the draft.
“It has been a whirlwind tour with the pre-draft camps in New York and starting camp in Sacramento,” Knapp said. “But she has her agent and she is moving forward in her new career. We are just very proud that she is associated with Georgetown.”
While it will be challenging to compensate for Brunson’s departure next season, she has served the program well. They will also have a chance to watch her continue to mature on the hardwood as she takes on the world’s best players.
“We will be watching the games, no question,” Knapp said.
