As many high school athletes dream of being able to play their favorite sport at a D1 college, senior Aislynn Hartman is more than content with going to D2 Wheeling Jesuit in Wheeling, West Virginia.
“I decided to go D2 because I didn’t want [basketball] to be my entire life,” says Hartman.
Hartman began her basketball career in 4th grade for Reading’s Valley Youth Organization (VYO). She began her Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) career in 6th grade for the Cincy Legends, but switched to Cincy Swish in 8th grade. She made another change in teams when she transferred from CHL opponent Reading to Mariemont.
Her coach, John Weilbacher, knew the transfer was good news.
“Obviously I was thrilled when I heard she was transferring, I knew all the pieces were in place for a run like we are currently having this season,” says Weilbacher.
Aislynn’s parents think this transfer helped her develop as a player.
“Her transfer has definitely helped her to develop into a complete player. She has very smart and skilled teammates to play with,” says the Hartman’s through email.
One of those teammates is fellow senior Sarah Bell.
She agrees with the Hartmans about the pros of her transfer and also adds, “She is now at a school that challenges her more academically and athletically. Her classmates genuinely enjoy her here.”
Bell has been able to play with her for two years and can see what type of player she is.
“She is a very hard worker and is determined to do her best. She was a key part in winning the CHL this year and will have a pivotal role in our run in the tournament,” says Bell.
Not only has Bell noticed, but so has her coach.
“Aislynn brings great effort during practice and games, her athletic ability is obvious and she is a difference maker on the court,” says Weilbacher. He goes on to say that he will miss her effort in practices.
Although Hartman has been a huge help to Mariemont, she says she has had a lot of help along the way.
“My family has been supportive, and I’ve gone through a lot of trainers and coaches but the three most supportive trainers have been Mariemont’s coach John Weilbacher, boy’s coach Jim Leon, and former Xavier player Brad Redford.
She says that Weilbacher has made sure her information gets out to coaches and that he is how she found Wheeling Jesuit. Leon has helped her with her fundamentals and is a person she looks up to. Redford has helped her learn how to actually shoot a ball correctly and has increased her ball handling skills dramatically. Hartman currently leads the league in field goal percentage.
Weilbacher finding Wheeling Jesuit was only the first step in her eventually committing to the school.
“Honestly, the coach and the girls played a huge role in making my decision,” says Hartman.
She also adds, “After deciding that, I looked at the campus and WJ was better than the other school I was looking at. It’s beautiful. There are many things to do and [Wheeling’s] a city.”
Although Wheeling Jesuit is a D2 school, she adds that getting ready for that competition has been a struggle.
Hartman has always been the one of the biggest people on the floor so one of her main challenges is that colleges want her to transition to a shooting guard.
“Learning ball-handling skills and trying to use my left hand more has really killed me because I never had to learn that before,” says Hartman.
Her parents will try to attend as many games as their other kid’s schedules allow, but they believe that their daughter will excel. They have many emotions as she enters the college ranks.
“They range from being a little bit nervous, to super excited. We are confident that she will do well, and succeed at the next level,” says the Hartmans.
Although her high school career ended last week in the district finals, Hartman made many memories along the way.
Her parents’ favorite memory takes them back to 6th grade. As the clock was winding down and her dad was telling her not to shoot, Hartman crossed half court and launched a shot from about 40 feet. It went in. The only issue was that her team was winning by 34 points. After the game, her dad reminded her to always respect your opponent, but part of him knew that it was an instinct he couldn’t stop.
Though she says she’ll miss basketball and that it has helped her grow as a person and learn how to be a leader, the skills she has learned may transfer over to what she plans to do post-graduation.
“My love for basketball is the physicality and teamwork but since I plan on doing something in the Military I think it’ll make up for me missing it [after college],” says Hartman.
She plans on going into the Military or Navy after college and desires to be a orthopedic specialist for the Army or Intelligence for the Marines.
She plans on taking this route because, “I need a bigger challenge,” she says.
Whatever she decides to do, her parents will always have her back.
They say, “We love you Ais, and are so proud of all your accomplishments, on and off the court!”
And that’s how many of her Warrior fans feel as well.