While the rest of the Gauchos are preparing for their regular season-opener under new head coach Carlene Mitchell, UCSB’s starting point guard Emilie Johnson is in Mexico to compete on the USA Pan Am Games Team.
UCSB's Emilie Johnson
Johnson and her USA teammates begin play on Friday against Argentina, followed by Puerto Rico on Saturday and Mexico on Sunday. Friday’s tipoff in Guadalajara, Mexico is at 11 a.m. PSD. Also in the women’s basketball competition are Brazil, Canada, Colombia, and Jamaica.
Johnson is the only Californian on the team, which is made up of college all-stars and Breanna Stewart, a high school star recruit committed to play at Connecticut. Johnson led UCSB in scoring (13.7) and assists (3.7) last season and was named to the All-Big West First Team.
See VIDEO of Emilie Johnson wearing USA gear
The Pan Am Games are held every four years and the Americans have won the women’s basketball gold medal in seven of the 14 tournaments, including the last one in Rio De Janeiro where the U.S. beat out the host Brazilian team. Past American players in the event include Sheryl Swoopes, Cheryl Miller, Ann Miller, Teresa Edwards, and Katrina McClain.
ESPN Deportes will carry every event live on their network, which can be seen on Channel 272 on Cox Communications, Channel 432 on DirecTV and Channel 854 on Dish Network. Fans will also be able to stream the event live on ESPN3.
