Brielle Mulvihill reaches 1000 point milestone

BY GINNY PRIVITAR
WEST MILFORD — Brielle Mulvihill is an athlete and scholar who knows what it means to persevere.

Her perseverance on the basketball court recently earned her an exceptional honor - she joined the exclusive 1,000 point club at West Milford High School.

Brielle started out doing gymnastics in the 6th grade. Even though eventually her joints were taking a pounding and she was growing too tall for the sport, she continued gymnastics in high school and has a varsity letter in the sport.

But Brielle had always wanted to be a multi-sport athlete. Her dad had played basketball in high school and he was a great influence and taught her the game. Brielle and her dad often played at the PAL and she shifted her focus to basketball.

Good choice.
Brielle played with a travel team first, and then AAU. In high school, she’s been a varsity starter since day one, according to her coach, Ray LaCroix. The senior forward scored her 1,000th point of her high school career with the Highlanders as they bested Butler, 40-37, in the Butler Tournament final on Dec. 29. She was also named tournament MVP.

Brielle loves the game for what it provides her both on and off the court. When asked what she loves about basketball, Brielle said it gives her the joy of being part of and contributing to the team’s success. But it's therapeutic too.

“I love that it kind of gives me a break from everything else,” she added, including the pressures of school and being an honors student.

She’s taken honors math and science classes and advanced placement history. Now, she’s in an honors anatomy class and an advanced placement psychology class.

How did she feel reaching 1,000 points?

“It was really exciting but also a relief,” Brielle said, “because now I can move on and I don’t have to worry about getting it or not, I can just move on.”

A favorite memory for Brielle is being a part of the first team all-county her sophomore and junior years.

As for sports idols, Brielle said she doesn’t have any, except for the sentimental favorite. “Obviously my dad, but athletically, I don’t have a major influence. My dad and my coaches, of course,” are major influences.

She is a Boston Celtics fan and, when it comes to college, the women of UConn are her favorites.

When she’s not studying or playing basketball, Brielle enjoys photography, especially shots of people and flowers, which she enjoys shooting at the Botanical Gardens in Ringwood. Like most students her age, she also enjoys hanging out with her friends.

Brielle has applied to several colleges and is still waiting to hear from her first choice. Fingers crossed. She wants to teach high school and eventually become a basketball coach and guidance counselor.

“My guidance counselor helped me out a lot," Brielle said.

It was both academic and personal for her.

"I lost both of my parents in the last year and a half,” Brielle said.

Her mom, Gail, died from cancer during her sophomore year and her dad, Tim, this past September from heart disease.

Although her parents weren’t there to see her accomplishment, Brielle thinks of her achievement in honor of them.

LaCroix, who’s known her since middle school, said Brielle is a great kid and a good student; a bright, hard-working girl with a good sense of humor.

“She’s very mature and has always been a leader on the team. Her basketball knowledge is very good,” LaCroix said. “She’s always been outspoken as to things that we need to do as a team to win or even as herself as a player.”

And she has grown.
“She’s grown as a player, certainly as a person as well,” LaCroix said. Speaking of Brielle’s loss, he added, “She’s handled it as well as could be expected at this young age.”

Her friends and teammates have rallied around her. They are proud of her.

“She has a big support system here, she’s always had a strong network of friends and people looking out for her," LaCroix said. "I would be at the top of that list.”