October 3, 2024
‘No dillydally, just goals’: How Brown used its foreign tour to jumpstart its 2024-25 season
The Bears started their season in Portugal and Spain. They hope it ends in the Ivy League Tournament — or beyond
The first game of Brown women’s basketball’s trip to Portugal and Spain this summer came down to a buzzer-beater. The Bears were inbounding the ball with time winding down, and sophomore guard Olivia Young set a screen for senior center Gianna Aiello. When both defenders stayed with Aiello, Young got the ball and drained an open midrange shot.
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“[Young] jumped up with both her arms in the air,” head coach Monique LeBlanc told The Next. “The whole team ran out, and yeah, it was just cute like that.”
“We all ran out and hyped her up,” Aiello told The Next. “And I think that’s just the energy we’re looking for this season.”
Though that preseason game against Lisbon Select had nothing on the line, there was arguably no better way for the Bears to start a season where they’re looking to make a statement on the court. After a few years of building under LeBlanc, the Bears will host the four-team Ivy League Tournament in March, and they are aiming to qualify for the first time since 2017.
“For [the players] to start connecting now and to build that chemistry … is just really cool and something that we’re going to wish we could do every year,” LeBlanc said. “And of course, we can’t.”
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Brown’s foreign tour began on Aug. 16 after five practices (the maximum the Ivy League allows) in Providence. The coaching staff picked Portugal and Spain to be able to see two countries easily and get there relatively quickly from the United States. Doing something different also appealed to LeBlanc, as the Brown women’s last foreign tour was to Italy in 2015 and the Brown men’s program went to France in 2023.
For LeBlanc, the fact that they’d finally arrived in Europe sunk in on the first afternoon there. The Bears headed to the beach almost immediately after landing in Portugal, hoping to stave off midday naps and get over jet lag faster. The beach was crowded with locals on vacation enjoying the 90-degree weather — but there weren’t volleyballs or American footballs to be found.
“Going to a beach that had a lot of life and excitement was awesome,” LeBlanc said. “And it was really neat because there were so many groups of people kicking around a soccer ball. … It just was a very instant visual example of, like, ‘We’re in a different culture. … We are in a country where soccer [reigns] supreme.’”
Related reading: Which women’s college basketball teams are taking foreign tours in 2024?
The Bears toured several cities and towns over their 10-day trip. They saw the mosaic pavement that’s common throughout Portugal, the National Palace of Sintra, the Maestranza Bullring in Seville, the cathedrals of Seville and Toledo and the Prado Museum in Madrid. Their bike tour of Seville reminded LeBlanc of a scene in “The Sound of Music,” though when she mentioned the movie to her players, few of them recognized the reference.
The group also watched the process of sword-making, participated in a cooking class and took a flamenco lesson, all within a two-day span late in the trip.
“It’s similar to tap dancing, I think, in America,” Aiello said about flamenco. “It’s a lot of just clicking of heels and banging the floor. And there was live music.”
In between sightseeing, the Bears played three games against overseas teams. All three opponents had some former Division I players or players at that level, LeBlanc said. The Bears went 3-0, with two close games and one blowout.
Brown has been building since LeBlanc was hired in spring 2020, going from one Ivy League win in 2021-22 to seven last season. Its 16-11 overall record last season was also good for the program’s best winning percentage since 2005-06. Though the Bears graduated star guard Kyla Jones, they return their five next-highest scorers and more than three-quarters of their minutes played from last season.
They also have unfinished business, as they tied for fourth in the Ivy League last season but lost the tiebreaker that would’ve sent them to the Ivy League Tournament.
“Everyone just … wished it would have ended up different,” Aiello said of how the 2023-24 season ended. “So I think that anger and determination is going to carry over this whole season. Each practice is working for the championship and being on the court when [the tournament is] hosted here. … It’s knowing we have a goal this season. No dillydally, just goals.”
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With only five practices in hand before arriving in Europe, the coaching staff wanted to use the foreign tour to establish Brown’s identity for the upcoming season. LeBlanc was confident in that after the tour ended. She liked how hard the Bears defended, particularly in the third game against Madrid Select II, and the response she got when she challenged them throughout the trip.
The tour also helped the Bears’ three first-years adjust to college basketball earlier than they otherwise would’ve. Not only did they get to know their teammates, but they got three low-stakes games to ease into things on the court, before the coaching staff is determining rotations and playing time. (Because of an Ivy League rule change, this was the first summer that first-years could go on foreign tours before being enrolled in classes.)
LeBlanc praised the first-years for being ready and playing “with a purpose,” and she also liked what she saw from senior guard Isabella Mauricio, Young and junior guard Grace Arnolie. Mauricio will be a leader for the Bears on and off the court, and Young and Arnolie will likely take on bigger roles in Jones’ absence.
For Mauricio and Arnolie, who each already rank in the top 10 in Brown history in made 3-pointers, part of their growth this season might be expanding their games.
“Bella and Gracie have been killing it in practice, just driving [the ball more],” Aiello said. “I’m so glad I get to see this side of them.”
Aiello also earned a shoutout from LeBlanc for her play on the trip, and her growth as a senior will be important this season. She was a part-time starter as a sophomore but averaged just 8.2 minutes per game off the bench last season. Still, she showed flashes of what could be, averaging 3.0 rebounds per game and shooting 48.4% from the field.
After the 2023-24 season ended, Aiello worked closely with assistant coach Clint Williams on having a more “dominant mentality.” She wants to be more assertive this season facilitating the Bears’ five-out offense, which often runs through the center position. She has also worked on treating every rebound as hers, being confident at the free-throw line and demanding the ball when she has good post position.
“I think it first started with leadership and playing the role and just truly believing that I can,” Aiello said. “It’s just having the confidence, like, I think people should be looking to me.”
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As Aiello and Young made something happen in the waning moments against Lisbon Select, and as the team fought for two more wins on its foreign tour, the Bears were building the bonds that they hope will carry them through a long season.
“After our first game, I think it was Bella that noted [that] … even though they were five days into practice, and now we’re on a foreign trip and we’re all hanging out … playing a game together connected them even closer,” LeBlanc said. “It was just an amazing opportunity to really build our relationships.”
As a result, the tour could end up being a key ingredient in a successful season — one that takes Brown all the way to the Ivy League Tournament and perhaps beyond.
“At the end of the year,” Aiello said, “I think it will be awesome to reflect and be like, ‘It started there.’”
Written by Jenn Hatfield
Jenn Hatfield has been a contributor to The Next since December 2018 and is currently the site's managing editor, Washington Mystics beat reporter and Ivy League beat reporter. Her work has also appeared at FiveThirtyEight, Her Hoop Stats, FanSided, Power Plays and Princeton Alumni Weekly.
