Like Parents, Ayrault Twins 'Born to Play'
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
November 30, 2017
GROSSE POINTE WOODS – Kim Ayrault and her husband Andy were careful not to overly encourage their children to play sports, specifically basketball, the sport they played so well for so long.
But if their children did decide to play, they would teach them to play the right way and be there every step of the way.
Julia and Joe Ayrault, juniors at Grosse Pointe North, are the first set of twins born to Kim and Andy. Annabel and Adam are the second. Born nearly four years apart, all four play basketball and the younger pair play multiple sports.
The Ayraults are a family whose lives often revolve around practices and games, and driving to and from said events. It can be simultaneously rewarding and tiresome, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Kim recalls one of her first memories of Julia, a 4-year-old bouncing up and down the court.
“She went to the basket and scored,” Kim said. “Then she came back down with her ponytails flying and waving her hands up in the air, and I said to myself, no, no, no. I went up to her and said, you can’t do that. You can’t celebrate like that. She learned. She never did that again.
“She was competitive at that age. She was born ready to play.”
Julia Ayrault started bouncing a basketball just about the time she learned to walk. When her parents introduced her to the sport, she dove in head first and hasn’t looked back.
She tried soccer. That didn’t last. As a second sport she preferred baseball, but basketball was always first.
Julia and Joe, 16, both play varsity basketball and anticipate having more than just a good season. Their parents were also fine basketball players in the Pointes, Kim at North, Andy at Grosse Pointe South. The Ayraults’ other set of twins also play basketball, at Grosse Pointe Shores Our Lady Star of the Sea. Annabel and Adam are in the seventh grade and, yes, they’re good players, too. Annabel plays volleyball as well and Adam plays baseball. He was a member of the Grosse Pointe Shores/Woods Little League team that reach the World Series in Williamsport, Pa., this past summer.
After graduating from high school, the Ayraults began dating while playing basketball at Wayne State University. Andy was a junior, Kim (Reiter) a sophomore. Both had fine careers, both played four years and Andy went on to have a brief career professionally in Europe. The two are tall: Andy is 6-foot-7 and Kim is 6-foot, and, not surprisingly, their children are tall. Julia is 6-2, Joe 6-5.
It’s too early to tell, but Julia just might be the best. A three-year starter for longtime coach Gary Bennett, she has committed to Michigan State and is one of the state’s top players in the class of 2019. Bennett coached Kim in high school, and he first saw Julia play when she was in elementary school.
Andy has coached Julia, on and off but mostly on, since she started playing. Currently Andy is Bennett’s assistant coach. Andy also coached Julia at Star of the Sea and began coaching his two eldest children when they were in elementary school.
“From third to sixth grades I had her playing on the boys AAU team,” Andy said. “I used to put them on the same team because she was so good. In the seventh grade we switched out of AAU to the CYO (Catholic Youth Organization). Going on a weekend and playing four AAU games in one day wasn’t doing her any good. Playing two CYO games and practicing three days a week was better.
“Joe should have a breakout season. Julia had a breakout summer. She played more on the perimeter. She’s athletic enough to cover the post and take the ball to the rim.”
Andy has never stopped working with Julia, even if he wasn’t officially her coach. She developed a love for the game at an early age and Andy continued to teach, lending support as Julia’s game continued to improve.
“She blows our mind all the time,” Kim said. “We’ll say to each other later, did she really do that? When I watch, I see it from the stands and it’s a different look than what Andy sees. I’ll yell something at her during the game. Andy doesn’t like me doing that. I still do it.”
In addition to her playing basketball with the boys for three years, the athletically gifted Julia also played outfield and was a pitcher on a little league baseball team with her brother for two years. Also teaming up with Julia on that little league team was Evelyn Zacharias, one of Julia’s best friends and now a member of the North varsity basketball team as well.
One of Julia’s first memories of playing sports is a positive one.
“I remember when I was at Star of the Sea, we went a long way (in the playoffs),” she said. “It started to be a lot of fun. A lot of those girls who were on that team are at North with me. Evelyn and others. We have the memories.”
Kim and Andy have memories, too, and there are many more to come.
Right now, their lives are often discombobulated trying to give the four equal time. It’s a great goal in theory, but much more difficult to accomplish in reality.
A typical day will find Kim driving home after work as an elementary school teacher to pick up Julia from practice and get Adam to his game at Star of the Sea on time. One particular evening the MSU women’s team is playing the University of Detroit at Calihan Hall and Kim and Julia are going. Home by 10 p.m., there’s time for a snack before the good nights are said.
“People, many of our friends, tease us that we make them do this,” Kim said. “We’ve never done that.”
Kim keeps a schedule of all the comings and goings on a board hanging in the back of the house. She does it alone. She doesn’t trust anyone else to keep track.
Andy is in between jobs so his free time, if you can call it that, consists of completing Kim’s honey-do list.
“We were laughing the other day,” Kim said. “How did we do this before when (Andy) was working? I’m just trying to be patient.”
At the very least, 20 years of marriage will teach you that.
In addition to his work with Julia, Andy coaches Adam’s team at Star of the Sea, and he’s usually the one taking Julia and Joe on trips, whether it be sports-related or the occasional trip to check out a college campus.
Julia said with every member of the family involved in sports in one capacity or another, it helps keep them all together, at the dinner table, riding in a car or wherever.
“(Sports) is a big topic all of the time,” she said. “We have fun with it. We mess with each other.
“My dad has taught me a lot about the game. The biggest thing is to put others before yourself. My biggest thing is to get my teammates involved. Even if they’re not going to play in college, it should be a good experience for them. I try to make sure everyone has their role. I don’t want it to be about me.”
Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) The Ayrault family, from left: Annabel, Adam, Andy, Kim, Julia and Joe; inset: Julia and Joe suiting up for Grosse Pointe North. (Middle) Julia and Joe celebrate a birthday together in 2012. (Below) Julia and her dad/assistant coach Andy anchor the right side of the team photo after last season’s District title win. (Photos courtesy of the Ayrault family.)
Undefeated Brandywine Eager to Earn Return Trip to Breslin Center
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
March 5, 2025
NILES – Josh Hood recalls receiving multiple texts the Monday following spring break last year.
Those messages came from various players on his Niles Brandywine girls basketball team inquiring about when they could get back into the gym and begin preparing for the 2024-25 season.
After losing a 33-30 heartbreaker to powerhouse Ypsilanti Arbor Prep in the 2024 MHSAA Division 3 Final, the top-ranked and undefeated Bobcats, 26-2 a year ago, are hungry for a return trip to the championship game at Michigan State University's Breslin Center later this month. They open up District play at 5:30 p.m. today against Bridgman on the Bees’ home floor, and will host next week’s Regional.
"Once you get a taste of the type of success we had last year, you can respond to it in one of two ways. You can either take the summer off, have fun and ride out your senior year and be content with what you've done or you can get to back to work right away,” Hood said. “We took a week off and after spring break, there were those texts from our girls asking, ‘Coach, when can we get back into the gym?’ We didn't have to ask who was going to show up each night either when we played our 14 dates and 25-game schedule in the summer. All of the girls were there ready to work.”
Hood graduated his top two players in Ellie Knapp, last year's starting point guard, and post player Kadence Brumitt. The two all-staters led a squad that earned the school's second Semifinals appearance and first Finals berth.
"Last year we had Ellie and Kaydence, who were our top two scorers for four years. The biggest difference this season is that we have eight girls averaging between four and 12 points,” Hood said. “Nobody we play can say they must focus on one certain player. Any one of our girls is capable of scoring. Our ability to spread the ball around and be unselfish have been two of our biggest strengths.”
Despite those two key graduation losses, the Bobcats (22-0) haven't missed a beat even while playing a difficult schedule that's included several games against Division 1 or Division 2 schools.
Brandywine, the two-time repeat Lakeland Conference champ at 8-0, has gotten good performances all season out of its seven seniors, along with a solid group of underclassmen. The Bobcats have taken advantage of their athleticism and quickness to outwork their opponents.
"The great thing about this group is that they aren't just basketball players. The success that we've had here at Brandywine in the last 16 years isn't because they focus just on basketball. Every one of these girls in our program are multi-sport athletes," Hood said.
The experience of playing on the big stage last March has been a big motivator to senior leaders Miley Young and Adeline Gill, along with classmates Adelyn Drotoz, Ireland Prenkert. Lexi Troup, Paige Krisher and Niyah Mason.
Gill, Brandywine's tallest player at 5-foot-9, is the only player averaging double-digit scoring at 12.5 points per game, followed by Young (9.0 ppg.) and Drotoz (8.5 points).
"Adeline is our leading scorer and a four-year starter like most of our seniors. She is a quiet leader who just goes about her business on the court. Her consistency in scoring and rebounding are big assets. Just like Miley, she is a tireless worker," Hood said.
"Miley was another player who received all-state honors last year not for her scoring, but simply because she was the best defender that everyone saw play at Michigan State in the Finals. She brings great tenacity and is fearless on the floor. Her energy on defense keys our man-to-man pressure, and she is the catalyst at the point position. Her work ethic has been exemplary all four years. Every day she is the first one at practice and the last one to leave."
Gill also averages 4.7 rebounds and two steals per contest.
"The experience of playing at Breslin last season was amazing and taught our team a great deal. We know what it takes to get there and how hard we have to work in practice and play in games” said Gill, who next plans to major in biology at Kalamazoo College with her career goal to become a physician's assistant. “We are quick and get lots of steals on defense. This group is hardworking, and we are always getting after it. We study a lot of film on other teams and ourselves, and it really helps us prepare for games. Our team is just really motivated to get back to state,"
Young sports averages of four rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.1 steals per game.
"Getting to Breslin last year was something we really wanted to do since we were younger. Our team has supported each other very well. We lost two key players from last year, but we have some young talent and returners that have really stepped it up this season," Young said. "Last season we were bigger in the post, but this year we just try to use our quickness to wear other teams out. We might be smaller, but we're going to get the job done with our defense. Most teams don't have the depth that we do, and that allows us to wear our opponents out. We are held to a high standard, and our coaching staff help us to be the best we can be. I've never seen anyone like Coach Hood who watches as much film as he does."
Young said that playing in Knapp's shadow last year was a good learning experience.
"In my opinion Ellie was the best point guard in the state. Going against her in practice really helped me,” Young said. “I had to switch my role up this year knowing I'm not going to get the ball on fastbreaks. I'm comfortable in my new role and getting my teammates the shots."
Drotoz, who will end her Brandywine career as the school's top 3-point shooter, has made 52-of-132 (39 percent) attempts from behind the arc this season.
The Bobcats are a dangerous team with their ability to either drive or swing it back outside for a 3-pointer. Brandywine is 157-of-535 (29.3 percent) on 3-point attempts.
Sophomore guard Mackenna Price (5.5 ppg.) is a big contributor off the bench for the Bobcats. Other standouts seeing heavy minutes are Prenkert, Troup, Krisher, Mason, sophomore Lily Gill and junior post player Karleigh Byrd.
Lily Gill averages seven points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 steals, while Byrd is averaging 5.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 steals.
Brandywine, which is averaging 58.9 points as a team and giving up just 26.2 per game, owns impressive wins over last year's Division 2 quarterfinalist Vicksburg (45-28), along with Stevensville Lakeshore (45-37), Richland Gull Lake (70-38), Kalamazoo Central (50-34), Kalamazoo Loy Norrix (59-27), Battle Creek Central (56-41) and St. Joseph (51-36).
"When you average what we do offensively and give up only 26 points per game, it says a great deal about our commitment to defense,” Hood said. “With our team it’s always been about defense translating to offense. That's become the culture of our program, and we're going to work real hard at it.”
Brandywine's last three games of the regular season were all against Division 1 schools in Battle Creek Central, Loy Norrix and St. Joseph.
"There's intent behind our schedule. Much of the credit goes to our athletic director (Dave Sidenbender) because we ask him to give us the best schedule that we can possibly have. When you play seven conference champions and 17 of your 22 games against Division 1 or Division 2 opponents, it makes our girls fearless,” Hood said. “Our schedule prepares us well. Losses happen, and you don't lose anything with a little adversity and playing tough competition. If you have a little hiccup, those film sessions are better than if you win by 40 points because you learn from that adversity. Our girls embrace that and they know that iron sharpens iron, and that's why we play the schedule we do. We play the seventh-toughest schedule out of 683 schools in the MPR (Michigan Power Ratings) rankings. When the ball goes up in the air, these girls are ready to play and it’s an honor to coach them."
In outlining the keys for another strong tournament run, Hood identified Brandywine's pressure defense as a key ingredient.
"We've never had a player taller than 5-10 at Brandywine since I've been here,” he said. “We have girls who are only 5-8 or 5-9, so that forces you to make it a 90-foot game and we've done a good job of that all season. Our rotations have been stellar. We feel like we are in charge of what we do on the court with the defensive pressure we apply. We are a very effective team when we can push the ball up the floor and not let our opponents get comfortable in the half-court.”
Young has committed to play college basketball at Lake Michigan College, while Adeline Gill made a recent verbal commitment to play at Kalamazoo College. Troup will play women’s soccer at Trine University and Drotoz plans to continue her softball career at Alma College.
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Brandywine senior Miley Young (22) takes her turn cutting down the nets after last week's final regular-season home win over Kalamazoo Loy Norrix. (Middle) Bobcats Adelyn Drotoz (3) and Adeline Gill (0) apply defensive pressure. (Below) Drotoz, middle, is escorted by her parents Chad and Heather Drotoz on Senior Night. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)