Ariel Brough

Me and sophomore guard Monica Gustin. Representin the 614 (Columbus)

Senior
Political Science major

History, English Literature and Criminal Justice minors

From Powell, Ohio; Olentangy Liberty High School

#45

Center

I can't believe I am getting ready to go into my senior year already. It's amazing how fast three years go by and how much everything changes. I am really excited to get to know our large number of incoming freshmen. For the first time since I've been here returners will be outnumbered, but that's OK because it is always fun to meet new teammates.

I chose to come to BW not only because I knew it was an excellent program, but also because when I visited I noticed how close the team was. All the girls were so welcoming and they had so much fun together. As much as I love basketball, I don't know if I would have survived three years if it weren't for the fact that our team gets along so well. While many of my favorite memories include big plays and great wins, most of them come from my experiences off the court. Here are a few...

-Katie Heinlen breaking into our room in the middle of the night in Texas and scaring Rachael so bad she dove off her bed in terror.

-Dancing at Panini's

-Monica's dad dressing up in a Yellow Jacket costume and surprising us before the OAC Championship game last year

-Rachael playing almost a whole season with an eye patch

-Most of the ridiculous stories that come out of Katie Heinlen's mouth

-April Reign

-All of the cheers that our bench came up with..."Bzzzzz" " Sting 'em!" "You got Schroedered!" "Courtney Downtown Ritzler" "Ka-tie Hein-len clap clap clap clap clap." "RQ for Twoooo!" "Mondie Mondie Mondie... Mondaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

-Official and Unofficial team bonding

-Being treated like superstars by the elementary school we visited

-ugly Christmas sweaters

-doing Monica's make up

-ridiculous Halloween costumes: Rachael's wedgie costume; 80's jazzercise instructors, Buddy the Elf

-Dick's restaurant in San Antonio

-Obstacle course and dance party on the bus

Those are only a few I could think of off the top of my head! I'm sure there will be many more to come!

Ariel Brough

GREAT video

At Baldwin-Wallace we love to win - games and championships. But more importantly, we want to do it with character and class. This video isn't about basketball, but it is about character and class. I would hope that our team would react this same way if put into a similar situation in a basketball game. Check it out - be sure to have a tissue!!!!
http://www.coachingtoolbox.net/videos/attitude/sportsmanship-from-softball.html

Season is Over

Wow, what a season. I am SOOO proud of this team. One of our pre-season goals was to bounce back from adversity...and did they! We had our season-ending banquet just over a week ago. It's late in the school year, but yet it is kind of a neat way to wrap up the year. It's always so heart-warming to listen to the juniors talk about how they feel about the seniors. Even better is listening to the seniors talk about their teammates, their experiences at B-W and their families. It's almost impossible not to shed any tears at our banquet! We will miss our seniors - their leadership and commitment was really key for us this year. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!



Going into the summer, we have 2 keys for next year. One, is our returning players must make a bigger commitment than ever to improve and get stronger. Secondly, we will really be counting on some freshmen to come in and contribute right away - so we need them to work hard to be ready. Only time will tell what the future holds for our team. We do know is that we will always be challenged not only in our league, but in our non-league schedule. Our goals don't change - win the OAC and a National Championship!

BRADY QUINN....... you know that you wanna see him

Well well well, all i have to say is wow! I never really thought that i would see thirty NFL players in the same gym as me! I must say that it is quite amazing, and by all the gawking people that were walking through and taking pictures I'm definitely not the only one that thinks that its a big deal! I must say that it was pretty funny watching all of the girls come in and take pictures and stare not that i was one of those girls when they all walked in or anything! Brady Quinn wasn't the only Browns player in the gym at the time, Braylon Edwards was also in the gym having fun along with many many others (without their helmets and numbers i couldn't really tell but it was still exciting). I must say that it was kind of nice to see NFL athletes doing the same thing as us college kids do, play with your friends and goof around. I must say it is pretty cool to see a NFL player dunk it (Braylon Edwards). In the picture above freshman posts Mariah Strayer and Katie Heinlen (me) were by far the two happiest girls in the room! When coach tells you on recruiting day that the Browns play in your gym its not really a big deal till they are towering over you! Lets just say Tuesday's and Thursday's at Baldwin Wallace are a big deal if your in the rec!
Katie Heinlen :)

GREAT OPPORTUNITY

So it's been just over a week since we finished our season but it seems like a month. We won our first NCAA game and then met Hope (ranked #2 in the country) in the round of 32. We had a great game plan, but just didn't knock down shots. It was a 2 point game late into the 1st half and we were down 7 at the half. We got it down to 6 with about 17 to play but just couldn't close the gap. Our second leading scorer, Jessica Butzer, left the game after just 2 minutes of play because of a concussion. It hurt to lose her scoring, especially against a team like Hope.

All in all, though, it was an experience that our players will never forget. Hope has tremendous facilities and a great following (see the crowd in the picture of Ariel on D). We were treated like royalty by everyone from the people at Hope to the DoubleTree hotel. Our team played their hearts out. I am so proud of them. We've made the tournament 11 times in the last 14 years, but it never gets old. Our goals are definitely bigger than finishing in the 2nd round, but we went out fighting.

DANCING!!!

IT WAS A GREAT DAY ON MONDAY!
We lost in our OAC championship game on Saturday. We fought hard, but unfortunately found ourselves on the short end and were not able to secure our conference automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. We had lost 7 games, more than our usual and knew we were probably done. There was a slim chance of getting an at-large bid to the dance. However, our strength of schedule must have carried us (we played a really tough one) and we learned on Monday that we made the tournament!
I'm excited to get this opportunity. As the head coach, I've been here for 11 trips to the big dance. It NEVER gets old. More than anything, I'm elated for our seniors!!!!! They've worked hard to help us get to this point. We started the season at 4-5 overall, and 1-3 in the league. Once we found ourselves and got things going, we went on a 13 game win streak. Without our seniors keeping the team on the same page, that would not have happened. This trip to the dance makes 3 trips in our seniors 4 years. That is a great accomplishment in itself. Now, we want to make the most of it.
We face Pitt-Greensburg on Friday. They are 24-2 and a great team. They really defend well and are versatile on offense. It will be a great game, as every NCAA tournament game is. Only the best of the best are left at this point and every game is a battle. We play at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, which also happens to be the site of this year's Final Four. It is a fantastic facility and they have great crowds so that will add to the excitement.
Our alums have really showed us a lot of support too. They remember how it felt to get this opportunity and are making sure our players realize how special it was to them. It's really a neat thing. Thanks former (but still) Yellow Jackets!!!!!!
So this week so far has been incredibly busy in preparing. We'll do our best to make B-W - our school, fans, and parents proud!
Coach Harrer

OAC's!!

So a few hours after I made my last post, we lost to Muskingum which ended our winning streak :( It was definitely tough to handle since we had not felt the pain of a loss since before Christmas. However, the experience can be turned into a positive. It is easy to become complacent when you are winning all the time, and complacency is the last thing we want during the OAC Tournament!
The Tournament is exciting because after going through a rough patch in December, we have been working hard every day to get better for the post season. I am glad to say that we have definitely seen some great performances both from individuals and from the team. Since my last post, we won against our cross-town rival, John Carroll, on our home court. It was a great game, and our guard defense definitely made a difference. We traveled down to Marietta last Saturday for another “good W”, 75-43. Almost everyone on the team scored, which is awesome. (You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, Monica!) Seriously though, Monica is a perfect example of strange problem we have on this team. Sometimes people are too selfless :) We also held both John Carroll and Marietta to only 11 points in the first half.
For our first OAC Tournament game I guess we wanted a little more excitement because we beat Otterbein College 70-68. It was the closest game that we won all year, and they definitely put up a good fight. When a game is that close, every single person's contribution makes a huge difference in the outcome. Even those who did not get to play helped by being supportive and challenging us in practice! And I have a feeling that I'll never forget senior guard Jessica “Butz” Butzer’s game winning shot with 2 seconds left.
So after getting a day off to recuperate, (which was necessary for those of us who are clumsy and spent the majority of the game on the floor), we got back into the gym today to prepare for who else? That’s right, Musky. Not even two weeks ago they broke our winning streak, so we are definitely out for revenge. Now that we have the first-tournament-game jitters out of the way, we are ready to go! We play them in the Quarterfinal of the OAC tournament tomorrow at 6 at Capital University.
Besides playing in competitive, high-stakes games, another exciting aspect of tournament time is the attention and support the team receives around BW. The campus is abuzz (no pun intended) over our games. Everywhere you go professors and students are wishing you good luck and asking about the season. It’s nice to have that type of support!
Well I better go relax because it is going to be a crazy weekend down in Columbus!
Sting ‘em! Bzz!
Junior Center Ariel Brough, #45
Happy Birthday: Some of of the posts celebrating Catherine "Kitty Kat" Spisak's 19th Birthday! From left to right, freshman Kitty Kat, Me and freshmen Mariah Strayer and Katie Heinlen.
PG Love: Our two awesome senior point guards hanging out after a game, Rachael Quiring and Jessica Butzer. Senior night was last Wednesday. We took it upon ourselves to hang embarassing poster-size photos of the seniors up in the gym! Congrats on a great career SO FAR, ladies!

Secret Valentine!

So the second half of the season has gone much better than the first, and I am very proud of how much we have improved and grown as a team. Although, there is always room for more improvement, we have definitely come along way. One of our biggest successes is that we have learned to handle tough situations and we no longer fold under pressure in tight games. We found our poise in Texas, and we have learned to maintain it.
I am happy to report that we have been on a thirteen-game winning streak since I last posted right before the second Capital game. As exciting as that is, we are really focusing on getting better during every practice and every game in order to be the best team we can be going in the OAC Tournament. In addition to great play by some of our main scorers, we have had some others step up in big ways for us. Great post play was a key in our Wilmington match- up and the guards played great defense against Otterbein. A couple people came off the bench with some big plays as well! Amanda Schroeder received OAC player of the week honors for her performance against Capital, which is awesome!

We are currently tied with Capital at first in the league, so today is a big day for a number of reasons. First, we are playing second-ranked Muskingum. They are having a great season, and like all other OAC teams, cannot be taken lightly. It is also going to be televised which is always exciting. Also, even though we need to focus on our own games, there are some big OAC match-ups today that are going to affect league standings in a big way.
It’s also Valentine’s Day! Since there are only a few single ladies on our team, we decided to organize a Secret Valentine gift exchange, so everyone can enjoy their Valentine’s Day. Some of us have not received our gifts yet, but senior guard Jessica Butzer got a big, pink, stuffed wiener dog from freshman guard Monica Gustin. (How thoughtful Mon Mon.) Freshman post Katie Heinlen got some pretty sweet gifts from a one of our centers :)
Just because our second round of OAC games has gone so well does not mean that we have not come across some crazy situations along the way. I already mentioned the John Carroll changing-on-the-bus fiasco. On our way to Otterbein, we ran into terrible weather. When we were ten minutes away we were informed that the power at Otterbein was out. We were determined to play, so we decided to wait it out. It was a little nerve-wracking though. Luckily, the power came on and the game was only delayed a half an hour. Afterwards, we thought we were home free, but then the bus wouldn’t start, so we had to wait for another one to pick us up. We just hung out in Otterbein’s gym for awhile. Good thing the coaches ordered pizza or we would have been really cranky. We were pretty tired, but it wasn’t too bad. Otterbein’s Head Coach Richardson brought us some leftover cake. I was excited about that, and it was very nice of her.
So right now we just have to get ready for Musky! We already had a shoot around this morning. Before we got down to business we managed to set a school record of how many balls we could fit into one basket. I think we got 7. I had a picture of it but it didn’t get saved on my camera :( So you’ll just have to imagine our phenomenal achievement by yourself. Sorry.
Junior Center Ariel Brough, #45

(Our senior student athletic trainer Jessica Cudnik poses with her Secret Valentine gift from senior point guard Jessica Butzer. They are wearing pink for the OAC's initiative to support breast cancer awareness. For three games we wear pink warm up shirts, pre-wrap and shoe laces. Proceeds from the t-shirt sales benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.)

AMAZING!

With only two weeks left in the regular season, I am amazed at how far this team has come. We started the season poorly - really struggling and were 4-5 at Christmas time. At that point we "started over" and were determined to just get better every day. That focus has paid off and although we haven't always played great, we have come out on the better side of the score! We are currently 16-5. We've handled some adversity, and I know we'll handle more as we go. We have really tough games ahead of us to finish the season, but we will take them one game at a time and stay focused on making sure we are better than the day before. The improvement in our team has been amazing, and the improvement in the play of some of our players has also been amazing. It's great to see players getting better both individually as well as collectively. The leadership of our seniors has also been better and better every day and I know they can handle and lead us through whatever comes our way. Our assistant coaches have also done a fantastic job of teaching on the court, talking with players off the court, and just making my job easier. They are extremely knowledgeable about basketball, and even more importantly work great with people. I am very blessed with the people I get to share this journey with - players, coaches and staff. Now we'll see if we can get better tomorrow!!

Coach Harrer

Over Halfway Done Already?!?!

By now we are well over halfway through our season, and I can’t believe how far we’ve come. Since I last posted, we have beaten Otterbein and Marietta at home and John Carroll and Muskingum away. All four games were great team wins. The John Carroll and Marietta games were televised, which is always exciting, and perhaps a little nerve-wracking. Luckily, aside from a view embarrassing facial expressions on my part, no one did anything embarrassing. A former player, junior Paige Watson, was the color commentator for the Marietta game. She did a great job describing the team from an insider’s point of view. She also added some accurate and insightful comments. We are all very proud of her! :) It was also “Bring a Kid to the Game Day”, so we sat at a long table after the game and signed autographs for them. A couple of our male student fans even got some shirts signed, haha! I guess we are big time!
The trip to John Carroll, our cross town rival, got a little crazy. Now, when I say cross town, you would assume it would be a short trip. But you have not taken Cleveland weather into consideration. Instead, the forty minute trip took two hours. I didn’t mind, since I was able to relax and listen to my iPod longer, but Coach announced that it would be necessary for us to change on the bus. Chaos ensued as 16 sizable girls tried to change into their uniforms on a charter bus. We got some good jokes out of it, and I think it got us energized and focused on the game. Needless to say, anyone that was driving on I-480 that night got quite a show as they passed our bus. As junior forward Serena Farage pointed out, at least we’re probably not going to see any those drivers again. We literally ran into the locker room, threw on our warm-ups and ran onto the court. I’ll never forget that experience!
So today is officially the start of the second round of OAC tournament games. We play home against Capital University, who is a big rival of ours. Despite a strange bout of minor finger injuries, we have been practicing well. We are excited and ready to go. It should be a good game, and rumor is some of our guy fans are wearing body paint. We always appreciate their support and they make the games even more intense.
AWWWWWWWW JACKETS! Sting ‘em!
Junior Center Ariel Brough, #45

To the left are me and freshman forward Katie Heinlen at our Ugly Christmas Sweater Party!

To the right are freshman forward Mariah Strayer, senior guard Amanda Mondrach and freshman forward Catherine Spisak all hanging out after a game.

SCHOOL DAYS

We started back to school yesterday, after spending a good deal of the break playing basketball, eating and sleeping. The break between semesters does give us a great opportunity to get out into the community. Our team visited Kidder Elementary in Brunswick and helped out any way the teacher in that classroom wanted. We read, ran flash-card games, helped make Christmas gifts for parents, and even participated in physical education class! I think our players enjoyed it more than the elementary students. We were happy to help out, and also try to show the students that they need to study hard and set their goals high.

Mark Mabry, a B-W graduate, is the principal there. He even dug through some old yearbooks and found a picture of our own Rachael Quiring when she attended kindergarten there! The top picture is Jessica Butzer on the climbing wall in physical education class and to the right is Ariel Brough, all 6'2 of her, with a class. No, she's not standing on anything!

Posted by Coach Harrer - 1/13/09

Other pictures - to left is Amanda Schroeder helping out with flash card math games. Below is Katie

Heinlen.

Courtney Ritzler reading to a class

Catherine Spisak (left) and Mariah Strayer (right) reading with students.

Carrie Ritzler hleping students with an assignment.

San Antonio!

Well it has been about a week and a half since we left for San Antonio and started our “new season,” and what a crazy week and a half it has been! (As Coach Strickland mentioned, we went through a little bit of a performance slump, but we dealt with adversity and came back from San Antonio with two good wins.)
The trip to Texas was fun and exhausting. After practicing hard TWICE on the 26th, we set off for the airport early on the 27th. We had a few first time flyers but luckily they didn’t freak out. Travel went smoothly. There were no delays or lost luggage, and we entertained ourselves between flights by playing Bananagrams, which is a little like Scrabble. We like to play board games together, and it can get pretty competitive. (Senior guard Amanda "Mondie" Mondrach brought the game, so I posted a picture of just her with it. You can thank me later, Mondie!)
The car rental company lost our van reservation so we had to scavenge for dinner the first night in Texas. We walked a mile to the nearest Mexican restaurant, which was fine because this team will do just about anything to get some food. While waiting for our tables we made friends with some of the locals. One lady gathered our team together and blessed us, which must have worked because we played and practiced well the rest of the trip. I guess we should probably thank her! :)
The next day, after practice, Coach let us explore San Antonio. We took a boat tour (see picture) on the River Walk and shopped, of course. A group of us decided to go to dinner at Dick’s, which is a restaurant where the waiters are intentionally rude to you. We’ve all developed pretty tough skin from joking around with each other, so we had a good time, despite the insults.
Our games against Trinity and Mary Hardin-Baylor were a blast. They were the kind of games that remind you why you love basketball. The energy was crazy. Everyone, even those who didn’t see a lot of playing time, helped bring intensity. The buzzing (like yellow jackets) from the bench really helped set the tone! Haha!
Both games were a great team effort. There were a variety of contributions which led to our victories. Whether is was by scoring, getting tough offensive boards, making great steals, finishing "and-ones", or cheering, everybody helped. We had some younger players step up and senior guard Jessica (Butz) Butzer definitely sparked us. Even though we always have a team-first attitude, we were excited for those few who set great career highs.
Ultimately, the best experience of the trip was getting to celebrate two good wins with my teammates, who are also my best friends!
Needless to say, we were all pretty tired by the end of our four day “vacation.” However, that didn’t stop some energetic freshmen from running into our room, screaming, while we were dead asleep. One senior, I won’t name names, was so startled that she dove out of her bed and onto the floor. It was hilarious, but not at the time, and I never will forget it.
After getting a day off and one practice in, we played Heidelberg, another OAC team. We won 91-41, and everyone who dressed contributed on the floor, which was awesome! Again we had a bunch of career highs, and a lot of fun cheering each other on. Now we have to get ready for Otterbein tomorrow! STING 'EM! Bzz!
Junior Center Ariel Brough, #45