The Phoenix Mercury announced today that Loyola Marymount assistant coach and former University of Arizona guard Julie Brase has joined the coaching staff as an assistant. Brase, the granddaughter of NCAA Hall of Famer and University of Arizona coach Lute Olson, spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Loyola Marymount University.

“We are very excited to have Julie join our coaching staff,” said general manager Seth Sulka, “She was a great point guard in high school when she played in Tucson and she did a great job at the University of Arizona as a captain on a team that went to the NCAA tourney each year. We look forward to having her work to develop our player’s skills and help take our team to the next level.”

Prior to becoming an assistant coach, Brase was a four-year starter for the University of Arizona, competing in the tournament each year. She led the Wildcats as team captain for three seasons while also serving on the Student-Athlete Advisory Board. While at the University of Arizona, Brase worked as an assistant coach at Lute Olson’s basketball camps. She completed her bachelor’s degree in social and behavioral sciences in communication and minored in business.

“I learned a lot the last two years as an assistant at Loyola Marymount and I can’t wait to take what I learned and help the Mercury become one of the elite teams in the WNBA,” said Brase.

The Mercury begin the 2005 season at home on Saturday, May 21, when they host the Sacramento Monarchs at 7 p.m. inside America West Arena. Mercury fans have the opportunity to see their favorite WNBA team in action through all 17 regular season home games this summer with the purchase of a full season ticket plan. Season tickets are available in a variety of packages. For information on Mercury season tickets, call (602)-379-7878 or CLICK HERE.