Before the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament gets going Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas, the University of Utah had a couple of players recognized Tuesday morning with All-Pac-12 honors.
Brynna Maxwell was named an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection, in addition to being named one of five players on the league’s All-Freshman first team. Lola Pendande joined Maxwell on the All-Freshman team as an honorable mention pick.
Maxwell and Pendande are Utah’s seventh and eighth selections, respectively, to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team since joining the league in 2011. The Utes have now had six All-Freshman team selections under head coach Lynne Roberts, who took over in 2015.
All-Pac-12 honors are not voted on by media members, but rather the league’s 12 head coaches.
“I’m so happy, Brynna got on the All-Pac-12 team, too,” Roberts told The Salt Lake Tribune via text Tuesday morning as the eighth-seeded Utes prepare to open the Pac-12 Tournament against No. 9 seed Washington on Thursday afternoon. “Her numbers are beyond impressive. I think it’s a boon for both of them when we do head into the off-season. It’s a confidence boost as a player when other coaches validate your game.”
Maxwell, the eighth All-Pac-12 selection under Roberts, leads Utah in scoring (13.0 PPG), three-point percentage (45.2%) and three-pointers made (75).
Maxwell and Pendande are part of a young core for Roberts, who will welcome a strong recruiting class next season, headlined by four-star point guard Kennaday McQueen and four-star forward Peyton McFarland.
“The sky is truly the limit for them and our program,” Roberts said. “We add an ESPN [HoopGurlz] top-20 recruiting class next year. With the current sophomore, this freshman class, and our incoming players, I am excited about our future.”
