Ariel Braker joined the Oakland women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach on July 1, 2019.
Braker comes to the Golden Grizzlies after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Lehigh. Last season, she help guide the team to a 21-10 record and 12-6 Patriot League mark after going 15-15 overall (9-9 PL) the previous season.
Prior to Lehigh, Braker served as an assistant coach at Western Texas where she was responsible for recruiting, scouting and managing the strength and conditioning program for the team while assisting head coach Darryl Davis with day-to-day duties.
Braker started her collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant coach in 2014-15 at Division II Wayne State where she assisted with player development, film editing, creating practice and game plans, as well as compliance and NCAA governance.
Braker was two-year starter and tri-captain in her four-year career at Notre Dame under University of Notre Dame women’s basketball team under former Lehigh head coach and Naismith Hall of Fame inductee, Muffet McGraw. Braker was a member of the winningest class in program history, finishing with a 138-15 overall record with four Final Four berths and three National Championship Game appearances. She also helped the Irish to two consecutive BIG EAST championships followed by going undefeated in conference play to claim the ACC title during the 2013-14 season. Braker averaged 5.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a junior in 2012-13, and 4.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game as a senior. She made 130 appearances and 70 starts during her career, with the team going 67-3 in those games.
Braker has also enjoyed coaching experience at the AAU level for BBC Basketball Club in Warren, Mich., as well as her alma mater, Grosse Pointe North High School, and at the Notre Dame Basketball Camp. In 2015, she also did media and public relations work for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA.
A native of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, Braker graduated from Notre Dame in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in industrial design and earned a Master of Sports Administration degree from Wayne State in 2015. At Grosse Pointe North High School, she was a four-time all-state selection in basketball. She was also a four-time all-conference selection in volleyball and earned all-state honors in track and field as a high jumper.
