Las Vegas Aces sign William, Gemelos, Johnson to training camp contracts
By Ben Dull
The Las Vegas Aces have signed Morgan William, Jacki Gemelos and Brooke Johnson to training camp contracts. As a result, the team’s training camp roster is now set at 22.
Update (4/30): The team announced over the weekend that third-year forward Isabelle Harrison will take a leave of absence from the team due to personal medical reasons.
“I would like to thank the Aces organization and fans for their support at this time,” Harrison said in a team release, “and I look forward to returning soon.”
“We respect Isabelle’s decision, and look forward to seeing her on the basketball court again when she is ready to return,” head coach and president of basketball operations Bill Laimbeer added.
William went undrafted out of Mississippi State where she helped lead the Bulldogs to two straight national championship game appearances. She averaged more than four assists per game in each of the past three seasons and steadily cut her turnover rate from 26.2 percent in 2014-2015 down to 13.8 in ’17-’18 per HerHoopStats.
Gemelos, a 6’0 guard out of USC, was selected by the Minnesota Lynx with the 31st overall pick in the third round of the 2012 WNBA Draft. She suffered a torn ACL in December of her senior year, forcing her to delay her hopes of suiting up for a WNBA team. She made her debut in 2015 with the Chicago Sky and logged 85 minutes in 17 games.
Johnson is a 6’0 wing out of UNLV. The local product earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Mountain West Conference this past season and shot 34.8 percent from three in her college career. Johnson won’t be the only UNLV alum in camp this season; the Aces re-signed three-year pro Sequoia Holmes earlier this offseason.
The Aces held the No. 1 overall pick for the second year in a row and selected South Carolina forward A’ja Wilson to join their core headlined by Kayla McBride, Moriah Jefferson and 2017 No. 1 overall pick Kelsey Plum. McBride was a restricted free agent this offseason and re-upped with the team on a multi-year deal.
The Aces also selected Tennessee forward Jaime Nared and LSU guard Raigyne Louis in this year’s draft. Las Vegas also acquired the rights to Ji-Su Park and Kahlia Lawrence in a draft day trade with the Minnesota Lynx.
Next: Podcast with Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer
The team has finalized its training camp roster. Seven players will be late arrivals this season, including Isabelle Harrison, Dearica Hamby, Cierra Burdick, Valeriane Ayayi and Ivey Slaughter. New additions Kelsey Bone, Carolyn Swords and Tamera Young will be in Las Vegas from the jump as will returners Nia Coffey and Sydney Colson.