Nina, Wisconsin—His friends liked to whisper in his ear.
“Hey Mark. Your daughter Allie, she has an opportunity to do big things. Be unique. Be special.”
Mark Ziebell often responds with a double take followed by an eye roll.
What you need to know
- Neenah’s Allie Ziebell became the second player from Wisconsin to commit to playing basketball for UConn.
- The first player to join UConn from Wisconsin was Germantown’s Kamorea “KK” Arnold, ranked #6 on ESPN’s Top 100 and UConn’s highest-ranked recruit in the 2023 class.
- Gebel is the Huskies’ first recruit in the 2024 class
- Connecticut is the most successful program in the history of women’s college basketball.
“You’re the father, aren’t you?” Mark said. “So I was like, ‘Oh, whatever. You don’t know what you’re talking about, because sometimes you see flaws in everything.'”
In addition to being Ally’s father, Mark was a men’s basketball coach for 25 years and a UW Oshkosh University Hall of Famer.
he knew
“Especially as a coach, there are times when she doesn’t box and doesn’t do the right thing on the court,” he said. “And you’ll think, ‘Oh, she’ll never win if she can’t box out.'”
Allie Ziebel learned to box out. And many more. As her sophomore year at Nina High School, she led the state in her 30.2 points per game scoring. This year, the 5-10 junior guard is her #5 ranked recruit in her 2024 class, according to ESPN.
And she’s off the board.
In December, Siebel announced that she would be joining the University of Connecticut’s women’s college basketball excellence program.
The little girl whose grandmother made her a UConn-themed birthday cake a few years ago, the little girl who asked for a UConn sweatshirt for Christmas when she was young, and whose father took her to Notre Dame to see UConn with Ireland. The girl who went to see them play fulfilled her lifelong dream.
“I still cry,” she said.
****
At the ripe old age of 10, coach Andy Brawnell took notice of Ally Siebel and thought… Oh. my own. good.
“Any time you know someone is the head coach’s kid, look a little extra,” said Brownell in his 19th season at Nina.
“I think it was in fifth grade when it really became clear that I thought, ‘Holy cow, this could be special.'”
(Andy Brunell)
By this time, Allie Siebel had spent most of her life in the gym. Mark is the coach of the boys at Fondue Her Luck, and during the summer she takes the kids to school in her car and plays basketball from 8am to 3:30pm, eight days a week, four days a week. We held a camp. week.
When Allie was in third grade, she was already playing against the boys.
By the time I entered high school, I had eight Division 1 scholarship offers.
“At first, I was like, ‘Okay, holy cow, what do I have to offer this kid?'” Because that’s your first thought. However, once she begins her work with her, she finds that she wants to be mentored by her, pushed on, and challenged. “
She also likes to challenge herself.
Brownell set a goal for his players to make 10,000 shots over the summer.
“There was a routine that she would do, X shots doing different moves and different drills,” Mark said.
“The good thing is that a routine has been put together for her, something she can always rely on and continue to rely on. It’s never too high or too low. You just go back and work on your routine.
****
It didn’t take long for Allie Ziebell to get more calls and emails from coaches than her friends.
It was suggested that she keep track of all her visits to the university and take notes so she could keep all her thoughts and impressions organized.
(Andy Brunell)
It led from one notebook to another and ended up in a complex spreadsheet on my computer.
“It kind of took on a life of its own,” Mark said. “You’d have to get to know her a little bit to know how that would go, but it was color-coded, had a date and time, and was all sorted out for who to call and when.”
While the offers were piling up, there were no offers from UConn.
Braunel emailed UConn with a video clip and a brief description of Ziebell’s career.
“I just said, ‘I think this kid is worth a look,'” said Brownell. “And no response.”
This summer, Siebel played for the Wisconsin Flight Elite, part of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. In June, she played in a tournament in Louisville, where Wisconsin stunned Texas’ highly touted team in the final, where she went 61-51.
Ziebell led all scorers with 30 points. An effort noted by many college coaches in attendance, including his Geno Auriemma at UConn.
****
Mark Siebel was on his way to the post office in the town of Clayton when his phone rang. His cell phone showed it was from Hartford, Connecticut.
“Mark, this is Geno Auriemma from the University of Connecticut,” said a voice on the other side.
“Over the years, friends of mine have said, ‘It’s only a matter of time before Geno comes out… you know how people can be, right?’ , I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ So in my mind I’m thinking, ‘Who’s kidding me?'”
He soon realized that this was no joke. They talked for about five minutes before the call hung up.
So Auriema called Allie.
“It came out as an unknown caller, so I didn’t answer at first,” she said. “And then I found out it was from Connecticut, so I ended up calling back. And when he introduced himself by saying his name, I was speechless.” I couldn’t believe it.”
Auriemma made a scholarship offer to Allie. And she told him she needed more time for a girl whose lifelong dream was in front of her.
“I think the biggest was when you were in fifth and sixth grade. That was your dream and your goal,” Mark said. “But now I’m 17 and a senior in high school. You know, time changes things.”
“Maybe what was good for you, what you thought was neat and cool in fifth and sixth grade, may no longer be so at 17. That’s why I felt it was important to do so.
About two months later she made a decision. Hello Connecticut.
****
When a player from Wisconsin moves to Connecticut, word spreads quickly. Like his January in Wisconsin, Braunell knew what was going to happen.
“She’s so rocky,” he said. “It doesn’t bother her. In fact, when some fans start chanting things like ‘her overestimation’ about her, it usually guarantees Arie will go on the run afterward.”
“We joke with her about it too. Some girls chant ‘overrated’ during practice.”
It doesn’t scare her, but she’s that type of unflappable kid. You put her in the range where most kids are her age. She’s off the charts with her focus and her ability to play tenaciously and follow through. “
Allie Ziebell said she can’t thank her father enough for always giving her time, energy and guidance to make her dreams come true.
And Mark, coach forever, knows what lies ahead.
“Now the work really begins,” he said. “I mean, in my opinion, she’s had the honor of trying to please one of the best coaches ever and one of the best staff. They’re at Coach’s Mount Rushmore.” I’m honored to try to come to practice every day to please them, and I think it’s a great honor, and it’s a great opportunity.”
Story ideas? You can contact Mike Woods at 920-256-6321 or michael.t.woods1@charter.com.
