Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Arielle Dabu, Loyola girls basketball

Arielle Dabu is a senior guard for Loyola Academy who is playing basketball at Florida Southern University next year.

1. Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

I don’t really have any rituals, but I do one thing with my teammate Summer Parker-Hall to get hyped up. Other than that, I just listen to music and gather my thoughts.

2. Why is Florida Southern the right fit for you?

They were one of the late offers for me. They invited me for a campus visit. I went in late October with my mom. Once I got there, I thought it was amazing. It is the perfect size, not too many students, not too few. I met the team and had a lot of deep conversations with them. It felt perfect compared to everywhere else. It felt like home.

3. What is your favorite thing to do off the court?

Spend time with my family and friends because when I’m not hanging with family and friends I’m usually in the gym.

4. If you could play another sport at Loyola, what would it be?

I’d probably pay lacrosse. My body is pretty tough, so I’d say lacrosse. 

5. What is your dream job?

I’d definitely be an athletic trainer for any professional team. I have a lot of physical therapy in my family, some nurses. I’d follow in their footsteps, but want to be the first to travel with a professional team.

6. If you’re in Walgreens with a couple bucks, what are you buying?

I’d probably say a Twix bar, Snickers bar and probably barbecue Pringles. 

7. How do you get better before next year?

I want to be better physically, take care of my body more, make my body stronger and thinner. On the court, communication and I could probably add more ball handling and shooting.

8. What is something no one knows about you?

I don’t tell a lot of people that I used to do ballet and tap dance. I was probably 7 or 8.

9. Has the dancing help with your basketball game?

Yeah, it definitely has. I’ve definitely gotten quicker over the years.

10. What can you and the Ramblers accomplish this year?

We don’t know about any of the playoff stuff yet, but I think we can honestly achieve winning conference. The (Girls Catholic Athletic Conference) is a really tough conference, but I think we are at the top of that list to win it. So we want to do that, even if there is no state, and get to a lot more than nine wins.  

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