MARYLAND 2012-13 BASKETBALL

ARONHALT RELISHING ACADEMIC AND ATHLETIC OPPORTUNITIES

BY ANNA LABONTE, MARYLAND ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
Logan Aronhalt didnt decide to play basketball; he was born into it. With two older brothers playing and a father coaching, Aronhalt grew up living and breathing basketball. My whole family is into [basketball], said Aronhalt. It was just what we did. Everyday we were at the gym, shooting and playing outside. It was a family ordeal. Aronhalt began to develop as a serious player while playing for his father, Scott, in high school in Zanesville, Ohio. Even though he was family, Logan found no easy break. It was great because we got to spend a lot of time together, but we got in our fair share of arguments. My mom had to mediate quite a bit in the kitchen at home. He was always toughest on me, and I think Im a better player now because of it. Aronhalt scored 1,623 career points in four years at Zanesville High School. He led his team to three district titles and three regional tournament appearances, and earned Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Division I Player of the Year honors as a senior after averaging 23.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. After a successful high school career, Aronhalt committed to Albany. The Great Danes were coming off their first of two NCAA tournament berths under head coach Will Brown. I really liked Coach Brown, said Aronhalt. He was really kind of similar to my dad in style and how they played. I thought it was a great program to become a great player at. Aronhalt played just two minutes before suffering a pair of foot injuries in his first season at Albany. After being confined to a boot for 12 months, he decided to change his major to better understand how to prevent injuries. I thought to myself, Theres got to be a better way to do it. There had to be something I could do to prevent it, so I decided to major in human biology and see if I could figure it out. Aronhalt played his first full collegiate season in 200910. He averaged 6.7 points and started 15 of 31 games as a redshirt freshman before breaking out as a sophomore. He started all 32 games for the Great Danes in 2010-11 and averaged 14.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. After graduating from Albany with a degree in human biology in three years, Aronhalt decided to transfer for his final year of eligibility. He wanted to continue his studies, and ultimately decided he needed to look outside of Albany for his graduate degree. I was still interested in the human body and exercise, and [Albany] didnt have any graduate programs along those lines, said Aronhalt. It was tough decision; I made a lot of good teammates, a lot of good friends there, but it was just time for me to make a change. Although its uncommon to transfer with one year of eligibility remaining, Aronhalt was committed to his 4 2012-13 TERRAPIN BASKETBALL GAMEDAY

academic future, leading him to Maryland with a strong exercise physiology program, and a storied basketball tradition. It was just a great fit all around. I have two brothers that live in the area, and obviously they have the academic program that I wanted. Its an amazing program here, and the basketball tradition is unbelievable. Coach [Mark] Turgeon, I didnt get to meet in person, but just talking on the phone, I was really comfortable with coming here for my last season. Happy with his decision, Aronhalt made the move to College Park to become one of seven new faces on the Terrapin squad. Aronhalt is one of four transfers for the Terps, and the only one besides sophomore Dez Wells to play this season. Aronhalt is also one of two seniors on a team that boasts five freshmen and six sophomores. It was a weird situation. I was coming in and there were so many new guys, said Aronhalt. But all the guys have been great. They accepted me with open arms. I try to teach the freshmen as much as I can, even though Ive only been here just as long as they have. Its been a different experience, but its been a good one. Aronhalt worked to adjust his play to Turgeons style, knowing he would play off the bench rather than be a starter. I knew it was going to be a big jump and definitely a big change for me coming from a small D-I school to the big time this is the ACC. It doesnt get much bigger than

this. I knew my minutes would go down, I knew Id have to become a different player to become successful here. Even though Aronhalts role changed at Maryland, he is still producing solid results. Prior to the Marylands matchup at Duke, He is averaging one 3-point field goal made for every 7.7 minutes on the oor, while the ACC leader in 3-point FGs made, North Carolinas Reggie Bullock, makes one every 11 minutes on the oor. With his decreased playing time, Aronhalt works closely off the court with director of basketball performance Kyle Tarp to learn more about strength and conditioning. Tarp uses basketball-specific exercises to train the Terps rather than just weights. I spend most of my free time in the weight room when Im not in class or at practice, said Aronhalt. Im really interested in strength and conditioning, and hes one of the best coaches in the country, without a doubt. Ive been taking classes, and its pretty research-based for exercise physiology, but I get application from learning with Kyle. As his collegiate playing career comes to a close, Aronhalt isnt sure where hes going after hes done. He may finish his degree, or go to Europe to play professionally. But right now, hes focused on helping the Terps through the rest of ACC play, and hopefully through a postseason run.