In Play(er) of the Week, we seek to highlight Wesleyan athletes or parts of games that deserve extra attention. Brooke Guiffre is a senior captain and guard for Wesleyan’s women’s basketball team. Guiffre recently won Division III National Player of the Week, as voted on by the United States Basketball Writers Association. She also won NESCAC and New England Women’s Basketball Association Player of the Week, following an exceptional weekend where she averaged 27.5 points and led the Cardinals to a pair of conference wins against Hamilton and Amherst. The Argus sat down with her to talk about her time on the team and find out how the season is going so far.

The Argus: Do you mind introducing yourself?

Brooke Guiffre: My name is Brooke Guiffre. I’m a senior on the women’s basketball team. And I’m a biology and Environmental Studies major.

A: How would you describe your experience playing basketball at Wesleyan?

BG: It’s been awesome. The team is so close-knit. And it’s really like a family. So I’m so happy with my experience here. I don’t want it to end.

A: How and why did you choose to come to Wesleyan?

BG: So I actually transferred to Wesleyan as a sophomore. I transferred from Colby College and I really liked the NESCAC experience, but I wanted a change of scenery location-wise. Colby was very isolated. And I wanted something more in the city. And then I was also looking a lot for a strong team culture, and just a group of girls that all respected each other, got along, and really enjoyed each other’s presence. A big part of the reason why I chose Wesleyan was the basketball team, like it’s so close-knit, and I have some of my best friends in the program. 

A: You’re a team captain. What’s that been like this year?

BG: It’s been challenging at times. [There have] been a lot of ups and downs this season. But I think I’ve learned a lot about myself as a leader. And I think I’ve grown as a captain [by] helping our team push through the tough stretches of the season. And right now I think we’re in a really good place. Spirits are high, and everyone’s excited for this weekend.

A: You mentioned ups and downs. Can you touch on some of the highlights and challenges of the season so far?

BG: Yeah, so in the middle of the season, we were on an eight-game losing streak. It started before winter break. I think we lost our five games [before] Thanksgiving, and then lost a couple more when we came back. So it was a really tough stretch of the season. But we just tried to stick to what we do and grow as a team. And last weekend we beat Amherst for the first time in 13 years, which was awesome to get rewarded for continuing to work hard even when things weren’t going our way. So the biggest low was the eight-game losing streak. And then last weekend, the sweep over Amherst and Hamilton was the best part of the season, for sure.

A: You touched a bit on last weekend’s success. As you know, you won Division III National Player of the Week, what does it mean for you to get that honor?

BG: Yeah, that was a huge honor. I didn’t even know that was an award. But it was pretty cool to get that. It meant a lot to me because we had been at such a rough point in the season. And then to keep working and not give up, that award meant a lot more coming after such a tough point in the season. It just shows that no matter what’s happening in the season, you can always bounce back and pull it together.

A: You guys have two more games this weekend, and then the playoffs. How does it feel that your college basketball career is coming to an end?

BG: I think I definitely feel a little bit of pressure, but I’m just trying to enjoy this process as much as I can and not get caught up in thinking about the end, and just enjoying the here and now. Like, the locker room, team dinners, just taking that all in and making the most of however much time I have left.

A: And going off that, what does the team hope to accomplish in these last couple of weeks?

BG: Our biggest goal right now is to get one win this weekend to get into the playoffs. So we’re really focused on having a strong performance this weekend. And then after this weekend we’ll see if we get a playoff spot or not. But I think our team is really gelling at this point of the season. And I think we can get a playoff spot. We have a lot more to prove and to accomplish.

A: How do you feel about the two games this weekend?

BG: So we have Tufts on Friday night. They’re ranked second in the league right now. But I think any game is winnable. There’s so much parity in the league this year. And every team has a loss. So I think that we have a chance at any game as long as we play our best. And then Bates is really the big one. We’re both tied for the eighth and ninth seeds. So that game is probably going to determine who gets the last playoff spot. And I think that’s also another winnable game.

A: How are you going to ensure that you come out with the victory in the Bates games?

BG: I think we focus a lot on our team defense, and when we can hold teams under 60 we usually come out with the win. Bates has the leading scorer in the league right now, so we’re gonna have to shut her down and focus on her a lot. 

A: You have mentioned how close-knit the team is. Do you have any favorite memories from the season or last season?

BG: I think my favorite memory from this season was definitely beating Amherst, just because that was such a historic moment for our program. It was the first time our coach, who’s been here for 30 years, [has beat] the Amherst coach. So that was really special for her to have that moment. And just after the game in the locker room, we were all screaming and dancing. We even dumped water all over our coach. So that was a really fun moment.

A: Can you say a bit about Coach Mullen and how she has shaped you and the team?

BG: Yeah, our coach is a very calm presence. And she’s helped me a lot with not being too hard on myself. Throughout the season, I have struggled with beating myself up over mistakes. We’ve been working a lot on self compassion, letting things go, and accepting that mistakes will happen. This past weekend, I was really focused on the next play and not beating myself up after a turnover or a missed shot. So she’s helped me a lot in that sense.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

If you would like to nominate a Play(er) of the Week, please reach out to ebyerly@weselyan.edu with either the athlete’s name and one sentence about why they deserve to be nominated, or the team, date of the game, and players involved, and the segment that you would like to highlight. 

Sam Weitzman-Kurker can be reached at sweitzmankur@wesleyan.edu.