Brynna Maxwell (born August 29, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for Celta Baloncesto Femenino of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto in Spain. She was drafted by the Chicago Sky in the 2024 WNBA draft. She played college basketball for the Utah Utes and Gonzaga Bulldogs.
| Celta Baloncesto Femenino | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| League | Liga Femenina de Baloncesto |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 29, 2000 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Gig Harbor High School (Gig Harbor, Washington) |
| College | Utah (2019–2022) Gonzaga (2022–2024) |
| WNBA draft | 2024: 2nd round, 13th overall pick |
| Selected by the Chicago Sky | |
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024–present | Celta Baloncesto Femenino |
Early life
editMaxwell was born on August 29, 2000, in Portland, Oregon.[1] The daughter of two college basketball players, she began playing the sport at an early age.[2] She grew up in Gig Harbor, Washington, and attended Gig Harbor High School.[3] She was a top player at Gig Harbor and finished as the team's all-time leading scorer (1,968 points), also setting other records including for most points in a game (48).[4] She was twice selected first-team all-state and was named Gig Harbor's female athlete of the year as a senior, when she averaged 26.8 points per game.[4] She helped the team win the state championship that year, 51–48, with Maxwell totaling 31 points in the game.[5] The News-Tribune named her the 2019 area player of the year.[5] Highly recruited, she committed to play college basketball for the Utah Utes.[4][5]
College career
editAs a freshman at Utah in the 2019–20 season, Maxwell started all 31 games and was named honorable mention All-Pac-12 Conference as well as first-team Pac-12 All-Freshman.[6] She led the team with averages of 26.5 minutes and 13.1 points per game, also placing first in the Pac-12 for three-point shots made (83) and three-point shots made per game (2.7), as well as second in three-point percentage (.472).[6] She was fourth nationally in three-point percentage and her 83 three-point shots set a Utah freshman record.[6] In her second season, Maxwell again led the Utes in points per game (12.8) and repeated as an honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection.[7] In 2021–22, she averaged 10.8 points and helped Utah compile a record of 21–12 while reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.[8]
Maxwell transferred to the Gonzaga Bulldogs for the 2022–23 season, ending her stint at Utah having started 63-of-85 games played in.[9] In her first year there, she placed third on the team with 13.5 points per game and was among the top three-point and free-throw shooters nationally, making 94.9% of her free throws and 48.1% of her three-point attempts; the latter total placed second in the country.[10] She was selected first-team All-West Coast Conference (WCC) for her performance.[10] In her final season, 2023–24, Maxwell had a career-best 14.2 points per game and repeated as a first-team All-WCC selection.[11][12] She helped them compile a record of 32–4, the best in team history, as the Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.[13]
Professional career
editMaxwell was selected in the second round (13th overall) of the 2024 WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky.[11] She suffered an injury to her knee during training camp, and on May 13, 2024, Maxwell was waived by the Chicago Sky.[14][15]
In June 2024, Maxwell signed with Celta Baloncesto Femenino of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto in Spain.[16][17]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Utah | 31 | 31 | 26.5 | 47.1 | 47.2 | 94.3 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 13.1 |
| 2020–21 | Utah | 21 | 21 | 32.0 | 36.0 | 33.6 | 92.4 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 12.8 |
| 2021–22 | Utah | 33 | 11 | 20.7 | 39.7 | 38.0 | 88.5 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 10.6 |
| 2022–23 | Gonzaga | 33 | 29 | 29.0 | 46.6 | 48.1 | 94.9 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 13.5 |
| 2023–24 | Gonzaga | 36 | 36 | 26.9 | 46.2 | 44.0 | 86.9 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 14.2 |
| Career | 154 | 128 | 26.6 | 43.7 | 42.7 | 91.0 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 12.9 | |
| Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[18] | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Brynna Maxwell". Women's National Basketball Association.
- ^ Sommerfield, Seth (March 16, 2023). "As basketball shifts ever more to outside shooting, Brynna Maxwell is helping Gonzaga reach new heights with her elite sharpshooting". Inlander.
- ^ Quinn, Andrew (January 6, 2023). "Brynna Maxwell putting up big numbers for Gonzaga women's basketball". KREM.
- ^ a b c Hutchinson, Chase (July 1, 2019). "What's life like with a new coach and no Brynna Maxwell? Everything is new this summer for Gig Harbor girls basketball". The Wenatchee World.
- ^ a b c Manley, John (April 16, 2024). "WNBA next for star who led Gig Harbor to a championship before a stellar college career". The News-Tribune.
- ^ a b c "Brynna Maxwell". Utah Utes.
- ^ Drew, Jay (October 12, 2021). "Here's where the Utah women's basketball team is picked to finish in the Pac-12". Deseret News.
- ^ Allen, Jim (November 8, 2022). "Gonzaga transfer Brynna Maxwell brings competitiveness, intensity off bench". The Spokesman-Review.
- ^ Allen, Jim (April 20, 2022). "Gonzaga women add transfer guard Brynna Maxwell from Utah". The Spokesman-Review.
- ^ a b Lee, Greg (October 17, 2023). "Gonzaga's Brynna Maxwell named to Ann Meyers Drysdale watchlist for top shooting guard". The Spokesman-Review.
- ^ a b Costabile, Annie (April 15, 2024). "Sky select Gonzaga guard Brynna Maxwell with 13th overall pick in WNBA Draft". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Lee, Greg (March 18, 2024). "Gonzaga sharpshooter Brynna Maxwell sets sights on deep NCAA run. She may need to go through her former team, Utah". The Spokesman-Review.
- ^ Lee, Greg (April 15, 2024). "Chicago Sky select Gonzaga's Brynna Maxwell with 13th pick in WNBA draft; Kaylynne Troung goes 21st to Washington". The Spokesman-Review.
- ^ "WNBA Player Movement & Transactions | WNBA". www.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
- ^ "Chicago Sky announce 2024 roster, waive 2nd round pick Brynna Maxwell". NBC Sports Chicago. 2024-05-13. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
- ^ "Brynna Maxwell, segundo fichaje del Celta para la próxima temporada". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ Atlántico (2024-09-18). "Tadic y Maxwell, nuevas caras, y felices en el Celta". Atlántico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ "Brynna Maxwell College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 16, 2024.