Seniors Marlo Biernacki and Arden Miller have high hopes for next year’s team. They’re almost as excited about their own careers. “I think I might run a fitness center,” says Biernacki. Miller wasn’t as specific, but she definitely wants basketball to factor in her future. Miller and Biernacki are glad to part with the team at high tide. “This has been a year of firsts, first year making it to ODACS, first year making it to the NCAA tournament ….” beamed Miller, the team captain this year.

Asked why her career has been so charged up until now, she says, “Mental toughness, being a very competitive person, wanting to win.” She was raised to be a basketball machine, with a handful of brothers always on the court, and a basketball coach for a father.

Yet, she doesn’t relate this year’s triumphs to her shooting ability—or anyone else’s in particular. “Team cohesiveness has gotten a lot better in the past two years,” she offered as one of the reasons for their success. With her level of sensitivity to teambuilding, this writer believes Miller is likely to revolutionize coaching.

Biernacki showed the same sensitivity to the importance of bonds among the players. She said communication was critical to the team’s success. “Basketball players need to be able to communicate with each other on the court and off,” Biernacki said. “Off court, they need to be able to resolve internal problems.”

Biernacki expressed an uncanny understanding of the conflicts in human relations that arise in a group of people working closely together. She admits that basketball has honed unexpected skills in her that will be useful in the future.
Both women are clear-headed and confident about their lives after Guilford, but will miss the team they are leaving behind. “I played for a great team. I want to thank my teammates for the best season of my college career, “ Miller said.

Enthusiastic about the team’s future, Biernacki added, “The freshmen know what it takes to get to ODACs again next year ….We should be getting some top recruits…As a whole the team’s just going to get better next year.”