For years Michael Cooper would utter one thing against Ashley Corral.

"She's not a true point guard," the USC coach would tell anyone. But as injuries mounted season after season, there would be Corral, running the offense. That experience could be paying off at Storm training camp.

Corral, who starred at Prairie High in Vancouver, is one of five training-camp invitees still vying for a position on the roster. On Tuesday, general manager and coach Brian Agler cut Seattleite Jacqua Williams (guard), Dellena Criner (guard) and Rachel Allison (forward).

But in Corral, a 5-foot-9 three-point specialist, Agler and his staff need more time to decide. She's in a camp battle with returnee Allie Quigley and Spanish star Silvia Dominguez, who should arrive next week. There are 10 players in camp.

"She shoots the ball well, she's very intelligent, she competes hard and she's got good instincts," Agler said of Corral, who ranks second all-time in Pac-12 three-pointers made (292). "But can she think the game as a point guard? It takes time to see. We're still evaluating."

Tuesday was one of the hardest days in Storm camp. Not because of a third day of three-hour practices. It's the cuts. Cooper, who won two WNBA titles with Los Angeles, ran a pro system at USC that Corral says helps her feel comfortable in camp and not worry about being waived early.

"There's a lot of pick-and-roll action and staggered screens — a lot of stuff I'm used to learning, so it's a good fit," she said after practice at Seattle Pacific. "Coming to Seattle was great placement for me. I have family that's three hours away and I saw them the day I got here, and being close to my sister means a lot. I'm hoping for the best because this is a perfect situation for me."

Sister Heather Corral signed to play at Washington, and their parents still live in the Vancouver, Wash., area. Then there are the friends and extended family to reconnect with, but first there's the goal of making the roster.

After speaking with media, Ashley Corral ducked out to be fitted in a Storm jersey. The team's exhibition opener is May 11 in Tulsa. Not bad for a player who went undrafted in April.

"It's hard to even get an invite," said Agler, who contacted Corral's agent five minutes after the draft was finished on April 16. "It's to the point where it's a special situation for someone to even be in a training camp because there's less teams and less roster spots. (Teams are also) really focusing and staying conscious of their budgets."

Note

• Guard Tanisha Wright's Israeli team, Elizur Ramla, plays a fifth and decisive game Thursday in its Division I playoff. The series is even at two games apiece with Maccabi Ashdod.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @JaydaEvans.