A record-setting basketball player who also can’t be beat as a person
By: Rich Fisher
It’s not for me to say Ali Baumlin is the nicest person you will ever meet. Afterall, I don’t know who the heck you’ve met and who you’re going to meet.
But I think it’s a safe bet to say that Ali Baumlin is one of the more likable people you’ll ever come across, as she proved in her moment of glory last Thursday. On a night she became the all-time leading girls scorer in Monroe High history, Baumlin was humble and gracious in her achievements.
She praised Ashley Lobbato, whose record she broke. She thanked her friends and teammates for their support. In essence, she’s the kind of girl a school administration can be proud to see at the top of the record book.
"She’s been a positive for us and certainly a role model for the other girls on the team," Monroe Athletic Director Doug Bayly said. "She’s been a pleasure. I told her parents about midway through the year, not only has she been an outstanding athlete here, but she’s even a better person, and that’s what it’s all about.
"She’s been asked to do an awful lot for what is in the team’s best interest. She brings the ball upcourt and plays inside. You could see tonight how pleased her teammates were for her. "
"She’s a nice kid to be around," Monroe coach Keith Hudak said. "She’s one of those leader kids, and it’s not because she’s a bully. She leads by example, all the kids like her. I have never met anyone who doesn’t like her. She’s just a super kid."
Baumlin’s peers feel the same way as the adults. Just listen to Emma Bossard, who has been Baumlin’s teammate since the two were 7th-graders at Applegarth.
"She’s a great player, she always keeps the team together, she’s the leader on the court," Bossard said. "But she’s always trying to get everyone else involved. She’s happy she has this record, but she’s not full of herself or anything."
And it would be easy to become full of one’s self, especially with the build-up that surrounded the big moment. Several signs and posters were seen in the stands last Thursday, urging Baumlin on. Groans of despair were heard as she missed eight shots in a row before tying the record, and a huge roar went up once she set it.
"Everyone had a lot of expectations for me," Baumlin said. "When I got to the game, everyone was talking about it. I didn’t really want to let it bother me. I didn’t want it to get me out of my game. I saw all the posters and everyone was cheering and counting it down. It was really exciting, actually. It lifted my adrenaline and made me want to play a little harder."
No one was happier for Baumlin than Hudak, who realizes how fortunate he is to have Baumlin. So often in high school basketball, talented players transfer to other schools in order to get higher visibility by playing on winning teams. A program like Monroe is not the type that some prima donnas wish to be around.
"That has become an issue," Hudak said. "When I was playing (at South River), you didn’t think about going anywhere. If you’re team wasn’t good, you went to the park and played to get better to make your team get better. It wasn’t ‘Where’s my easy bus ticket to the next town.’
"But now it’s a factor, no question about it. And it says a lot about Ali that she decided to stick around."
Baumlin admits it did cross her mind for a fleeting moment.
"My freshman year I gave it some thought, but not too seriously," she said. "Once I start something, I don’t want to shy away from it, I want to finish what I started. These girls are great."
One might think Baumlin regrets her decision to stay when looking at the Falcons 0-14 record as of Monday. Once again, however, she rises above it all.
"The losing has actually made us closer this year," Baumlin said. "Everyone likes to win, and winning brings people together. But losing, you have to persevere through so much more and it’s harder to get along. But I think it brought us closer.
"All the tough times we have on the court are completely gone when I step off the court. We’re all friends. To leave that would have been hard."
Not just for Baumlin, but for all involved.
"You look at someone like that, and it’s easy for them to get wrapped up in themselves," Bayly said. "But Ali hasn’t done that. She’s been a great teammate and the girls appreciate that. There were a lot of people very sincerely happy for her tonight."
And, when dealing with someone who’s hard to dislike, who could blame them?

