Wagner graduate representing U.S.

A couple years have passed, but the impression Wagner graduate Amber Ramirez left on Pittsburgh women’s basketball coach Suzie McConnell-Serio is still there.

“I had seen her in some AAU tournaments,” McConnell-Serio said. “I knew her as a shooter and as a scorer. She was not one-dimensional. She had a presence on the floor and showed a lot of confidence. That’s what I remember.”

After coaching Ramirez on USA Basketball’s 12-member under-18 women’s national team, that impression didn’t change much.

“I’m very impressed with her caliber of play and her skill set,” McConnell-Serio said. “She’s a great leader and very vocal. She’s one of our most enthusiastic leaders. She’s a tremendous 3-point shooter. She has a quick release. She has a high basketball IQ. We’re putting in a lot in a short amount of time, and she’s picked it up quickly.”

McConnell-Serio has coached Ramirez — a two-time San Antonio Express-News Player of the Year — since July 2, when the team gathered for a training camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in preparation for the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championships. The tournament began July

13. Team USA defeated Canada 109-62 on July 17 to win the gold medal. The Americans went 5-0 during the tournament. They reached the 100-point mark four times and beat their opponents by an average of 55.8 points.

Ramirez scored 10 points against Canada on Sunday. She averaged 10.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the tournament. Her best game was against Venzuela on Friday. Ramirez had 18 points (5 of 11 from the arc) and six assists in the USA’s 110-52 victory.

The opportunity to represent her country is not something Ramirez, a 2016 Wagner graduate who will play at TCU, took lightly. She had tried out for the U16 team in 2013 and the U17 team in 2014, but didn’t make the cut those times. She was grateful when she found out she made the U18 team in May.

“I was super-excited,” Ramirez said recently via a telephone interview from Colorado Springs. “I’m blessed to be a part of this team. I’m honored to wear ‘USA’ across my chest.”

The FIBA tournament was the latest stop in what has been a whirlwind ride for Ramirez since Wagner’s season concluded in the regional finals Feb. 27.

Since then, Ramirez played in the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game on March 30 in Chicago and the Jordan Brand Classic, another national all-star game, on April 15 in Brooklyn, New York.

In early June, Ramirez played for Team USA in the 2016 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. Ramirez served as captain as Team USA earned a silver medal.

“I’ve worked so hard and achieved these things,” Ramirez said. “Hard work does pay off.” dhinojosa@express-news.net Twitter: @hinojosa_david