MINNEAPOLIS — Marissa Janning’s basketball career for Watertown-Mayer High School began in seventh grade with an invitation from head coach John Rosholt to join the varsity squad for practice.

She flourished down the stretch of her sophomore season, facing constant double teams for the first time but helping lead the Royals to the state tournament in 2010. She finished her five-year run with 3,587 points, the fourth-most in Minnesota girls history.

Perhaps the biggest step she took in her development, though, was when she figured out she could keep up with her big brother on the court.

“It was frustrating until I got to the point where I could dribble between my legs or go to my combo moves and stuff,” Janning said. “Then it started get really fun.”

Matt Janning was a star for Watertown-Mayer — on the fringe of the Twin Cities metro area just west of Lake Minnetonka — who went on to a standout college career at Northeastern in Boston and was in training camp with the Phoenix Suns. He has been in the NBA Developmental League and is currently playing in Italy.

Five years younger than her gifted brother, Marissa Janning had a lot to live up to — but a lot to learn from, too. He, too, was the player whom opponents schemed to stop, who had to learn how to handle the pressure and consistently pass to open teammates without turning the ball over when the extra defender came close.

“When you see it, it looks hard, but when you experience it, it’s not that hard at all,” she said. “It just became natural and I kind of expected it.”

Janning was named the Minnesota Associated Press Player of the Year on Tuesday. She was joined on the AP’s all-state team are Braham junior guard Rebekah Dahlman, New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva sophomore guard Carlie Wagner, Hopkins junior guard Nia Coffey and Eden Prairie senior forward Jackie Johnson.

Janning finished with a state-record 458 made shots from 3-point range, a per-game average her senior year of more than 30 points — and just one regret. Watertown-Mayer was beaten 54-51 in the section playoffs with a loss to eventual Class 2A champion Providence Academy, just the fourth defeat of the season for the Royals. Providence Academy, a Catholic school in the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth, beat Watertown-Mayer in the section playoffs the year before, too.

“That was a frustrating end. No doubt about it,” Rosholt said.

But Janning’s basketball is only beginning. The left-hander with the superb court vision and exceptional blend of passing, dribbling and shooting ability will play next season at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.

“She plays with so much poise with the ball in her hands,” Rosholt said. “We often talk about when we’re going to see another player like this in our program, in our conference or in our subsection. I know I won’t be coaching when someone else comes around like her.”