Aird anchors Aggie attack
Whether it be playing sports, music or just enjoying life, many people can’t remember actually learning or starting to do something they love.
It is just something they have always done.
That’s how it is for Ali Aird, a sophomore member of Utah State’s women’s basketball team from Bountiful.
“I don’t remember how old I was, but I grew up playing basketball,” Aird said. “In my backyard, we had a basketball hoop and I had older brothers and sisters and so we would always go and play outside.”
Her “Aird”-ness has been the anchor for the women’s basketball team in their first season back since the program was discontinued in 1987.
Aird leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game, and in rebounding, pulling down an average of 7.5 boards per game.
Her expectations for this season, along with the team’s, were pretty high, and seemed nearly impossible to those that did not know the team well. But these Aggie women were able to show the doubters a thing or two this season.
They didn’t achieve all their goals, like coming in fourth in the conference, but they were able to scout out the competition and get a taste of what to look for and defend against. Their record wasn’t the greatest, but for Aird, there have been some high points along with the low.
“The Cal Poly game was one of my favorites … winning it at the buzzer,” Aird said. “That was a fun game. The Long Beach game was one of my favorites, too. I felt like we were on every loose ball and it was just so intense and so fun to play. We just felt so good that whole game. We played to our potential that game.”
Northridge was another game that Aird talks about with a smile. It was a good game, she said, not only because the Aggies had another win, but they had more fans there than Northridge, even though they were playing in California.
Another fond memory, and a blast from the past for Aird, was the UVSC exhibition game, the Aggies’ first (though unofficial) win of the season. Aird had played against the team while she was playing for Salt Lake Community College.
“I played against UVSC last year and so I know some of the girls on the team and actually played at UVSC. I think [the win] gave us more respect in the state of Utah. To beat them gave us more confidence and people respected us a little bit more for beating them.”
Aird didn’t always plan on continuing her basketball career through college. In fact, it wasn’t until her sophomore year in high school, when schools were starting to recruit her, that she began to think about it.
“We took state when I was a junior. That was when basketball was the most serious for me. I was working hard and practicing every day,” Aird said. “I really thought of the possibility of going somewhere and playing basketball.”
Aird played last season for Salt Lake Community College and the way she played there got the attention of several universities.
Her freshman season at SLCC had Aird averaging 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. But what really excited USU and other schools were the numbers she produced during the Scenic West Athletic Conference Tournament as she averaged 16 points and four rebounds in leading SLCC to the championship game.
Several schools tried to recruit Aird, including BYU, the school Aird had always planned on attending. However, Aird decided to come play for USU because she had a “gut feeling” that this is where she should be and she has been a huge help to the young and inexperienced Aggie team.
The transition from a junior college to playing for a Division I team was not without challenges.
There are a lot of differences between the two, Aird said, from taller players like 6-foot-8 Lindsay Taylor and quicker ball movement to stronger outside shooting and higher point averages.
The transition has also been difficult because Aird has gone from playing for a team leading its conference to one fighting near the bottom.
“The hardest thing for me is trying to stay positive with us not winning,” Aird said. “You just got to keep on going and keep on working to get better. It’s easy to go to practice and have a good attitude when you’re winning, but when you’re losing, it’s a lot harder.”
Aird and other members of the team have looked to the assistant coaches to keep them positive through their good attitudes and understanding.
Overall however, even through the losses, the season has been a good one for Aird.
“I love it,” Aird said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
-aedmunds@cc.usu.edu