Ariel Braker

Ariel Braker#44

OVERVIEW: Braker is a long, lanky post player who is a versatile asset for Notre Dame, particularly on the defensive end of the floor with her rebounding and shot-blocking prowess. She's agile and aggressive with good athleticism that can be valuable in traps and presses. Braker also has the size and potential to play bigger than her 6-foot-1 frame, giving Notre Dame talent and depth in the post that it has not had in recent years … her production as a freshman was somewhat limited due to lingering effects from knee surgery during her high school career, but she is expected to make a full recovery in time to make her presence felt during the 2011-12 season.

FRESHMAN SEASON (2010-11): Highly-efficient defensive presence who led the team with one rebound every 2.7 minutes played … nearly had "5-5-5" game in her college debut against New Hampshire, registering five points, five rebounds and four steals in 12 minutes … grabbed four rebounds in six minutes against Morehead State ... (read more)

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Grosse Pointe North High School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., where she was a four-year letterwinner and mainstay for head coach Gary Bennett, helping the Norsemen to a combined record of 94-11 (.895), including a school-record 24-game winning streak during her senior season (2009-10) ... (read more)

PERSONAL DATA: Born July 11, 1991 ... daughter of Veronica and Daniel Braker ... one of five children, growing up in Evansville, Ind. ... is 17th player from state of Michigan to suit up for Notre Dame, second only to Indiana's 19 residents on the Fighting Irish all-time roster ... (read more)

 

 

 

 


 


FRESHMAN SEASON (2010-11): Highly-efficient defensive presence who led team with one rebound every 2.7 minutes played … nearly had "5-5-5" game in her college debut against New Hampshire, registering five points, five rebounds and four steals in 12 minutes … grabbed four rebounds in six minutes against Morehead State … came off the bench vs. IUPUI and netted career highs of 10 points and six rebounds in 13 minutes; also blocked a pair of Jaguar shots … rejected two Creighton shots in three minutes … finished 4-for-4 from the field with eight points and three steals in nine minutes at Valparaiso … delivered three points, four rebounds and career-high three blocks in 10 minutes against Loyola Marymount … did a bit of everything in 17 minutes vs. Southeast Missouri State while finishing with eight boards, two assists, two blocks and five points … grabbed three boards against Pittsburgh … shot 2-for-2 at the foul line against #RV/23 St. John's while blocking two shots … one of three Fighting Irish players to grab game-high six rebounds in win over Seton Hall … had two points (2-4 FT), three rebounds and two steals in home finale against Cincinnati.

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Grosse Pointe North High School in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., where she was a four-year letterwinner and mainstay for head coach Gary Bennett, helping Norsemen to combined record of 94-11 (.895), including a school-record 24-game winning streak during her senior season (2009-10) ... also led team to 2007-08 Michigan Class A state title, as well as three regional championships (and one regional runner-up finish), four district crowns and four conference titles (undefeated in league play her final three seasons) ... two-time Michigan Class A Player of the Year (2008 by Detroit News; 2010 by Associated Press) ... finished close third (five votes shy of second) in 2010 Michigan Miss Basketball voting (and was tops among players from eastern half of state, including Detroit metro area) ... Detroit Free Press Final Four All-Tournament Team (2007) ... three-time Detroit News Dream Team selection (2007, 2009, 2010) ... four-time Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) Class A all-state (2007 - third team, 2008, 2009, 2010 - first team) ... four-time all-metro selection (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) ... four-time MAC Red Conference MVP and all-conference pick (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010) ... three-time team captain (2008, 2009, 2010) ... ranked 41st by All-Star Girls Report (eighth among wing forwards), 42nd by Blue Star Basketball, and 85th by Dan Olson's Collegiate Girls Basketball Report (14th among small forwards) ... career per-game averages of 14.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.0 steals and 3.4 assists ... as senior in 2009-10, averaged 17.6 ppg., 11.4 rpg., 7.6 spg., 5.4 bpg. and 4.0 apg. ... as junior in 2008-09, averaged 12.3 ppg., 8.1 rpg., 4.3 spg. and 2.4 apg., after suffering a knee injury during AAU ball the previous summer ... as sophomore in 2007-08 (state title season), averaged 16.0 ppg., 11.0 rpg., 7.2 spg. and 3.8 apg. ... as freshman in 2006-07, averaged 10.6 ppg., 8.8 rpg., 5.0 spg. and 3.4 apg. ... holds numerous school records including rebounds in game (24), steals in a game (12), rebounds in season (271), steals in season (181), free throws made in season (96) and free throws attempted in season (163) ... a triple-double machine in high school, she nearly had a quadruple-double in a January 2010 win over Saginaw Arthur Hill (15 points, 17 rebounds, 10 steals, eight assists, four blocks) ... found great AAU success playing for Michigan Shock/Pistons and head coach John Ciszewski ... helped AAU teams to four consecutive top-10 finishes at AAU Division I Nationals from 2006-09 (best was third in 2008), as well as two adidas Deep South Classic titles (2008 U17 select, 2009) and four AAU state championships ... averaged 19.7 points, 15.3 rebounds, 6.7 steals and 5.3 assists per game during final three seasons of AAU career (led team in scoring each year) ... also a standout high jumper at GPN, qualifying for state meet as a sophomore in 2008.

PERSONAL DATA: Born July 11, 1991 ... daughter of Veronica and Daniel Braker ... one of five children, growing up in Evansville, Ind. ... is 17th player from state of Michigan to suit up for Notre Dame, second only to Indiana's 19 residents on the Fighting Irish all-time roster ... some other notable Michiganders who have played basketball at Notre Dame include: Jeannine Augustin (Rochester/starting point guard on 1997 Final Four team), Letitia Bowen (Buchanan/holder of school's career rebounding average record at 8.8 rpg.) and Julie Henderson (Ann Arbor/ranks among program's all-team leaders with 130 games played) ... one of two members of Fighting Irish sophomore class (along with Natalie Achonwa) who have played multiple sports in high school – three other returning Fighting Irish players also were two-sport prep standouts (Skylar Diggins, Brittany Mallory and Fraderica Miller) ... also coached U13 girls' basketball team near home ... competed in gymnastics for four years ... has read every book in the Twilight series ... has designs on studying international business at Notre Dame ... recently completed Notre Dame's unique First Year of Studies program ... some other Fighting Irish players who have worn No. 44 include Heidi Bunek and Meaghan Leahy.