photo by Justin Limoges
The game of basketball has always had a place in the hearts of families across the Hoosier state, and it most certainly did in the Brewer household in Coatesville, Indiana. From a young age, junior Dani Brewer grew to love basketball, and since arriving on the Hilltop in the fall of 2014, she has blossomed into one of the Braves’ most versatile players.
“My dad taught me and my brother to play basketball, and that’s how we really spent time together as a family,” Brewer said. “My mom played basketball a little bit in college, so it’s definitely in the genes. My passion and love for basketball was shaped by my coaches throughout the years, and my number one coach was my dad.”
Brewer’s college recruitment process was slightly different than most basketball recruits – she was home-schooled throughout high school. Brewer got most of her exposure to college scouts while playing on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit, which led her to Bradley.
Brewer said she chose Bradley for a variety of reasons, but some of the biggest influencing factors were the people she met on her visits and Bradley’s communications school.
“For me, it was really about the people, because that’s what makes a place,” Brewer said. “I connected with the girls right away on my official visits, specifically Michelle Young [Class of 2015]. I really paid attention to the coaches that were recruiting me. I wanted to go to a place that played a really high-paced game. I think walking it down the floor is really boring. Under [former head] coach [Michael] Brooks and under [current head] coach [Andrea] Gorski, they’re really high-paced coaches with a really fast philosophy, so that’s really exciting. I love playing that type of basketball.”
Gorski refers to Brewer as the team’s “Swiss Army Knife” who can do a bit of everything, from handling the ball to defending the post. Brewer said versatility was always something her dad believed she would need in order to be a successful player.
“He always said to me, ‘Dani, I don’t care how tall you grow up to be, you will have guard skills,’” Brewer said. “That was always so foreign to me because when I was younger, I was a little bit taller, a little big bigger, but as I grew up he was completely right. I was just the same size as every other guard.”
This season, Brewer is using her skills as a point guard and a wing to help lead a young Braves team. Through four games this year, Brewer is averaging nine points, four rebounds and two assists per game, including a 14-point game in a win against Detroit.
“If you can dribble, if you can shoot, if you can move, you can play any position you want,” Brewer said. “You just have to be focused on what you want and what each position requires of you. There have been some rough moments between trying to guard the post and trying to handle the ball under pressure, but my coaches have been there for me every step of the way and I’m really excited to do different things. I don’t feel like it’s a stressful thing – I like changing things up.”
Another “change-up” Brewer embraced is a new coaching staff this year. She said she had to make some adjustments to learn a new system under coach Gorski.
“Philosophically, coach [Gorski] wants us to be very aggressive, but aggressive with a purpose,” Brewer said. “My coaches really tried to develop me to not just stop-and-pop, but fake baseline and drive middle, because when you drive middle, all kinds of things happen. It’s not just open for me to get a shot, but my teammates to get a shot.”
Off the court, Brewer stays very busy as a public relations major.
“My dream job would be a campaign manager for a politician,” Brewer said. “I think overall, I just really like winning, so it doesn’t matter what field it would be. I would want to do something that has a competitive edge. I really like the ins and outs of campaigning, whether it’s advertising campaigns, political campaigns or a campaign to cause movement or change. There’s a lot of power in [politics]. I would love to be the one that manipulates the power that sets people up to accomplish great things.”
According to Brwer one of the most rewarding parts of college basketball is the connections she gets to make with the people around her. As a more experienced player, Brewer excels in leading the younger players on the team and helping them adjust to college basketball and college life.
“It’s really fun to watch them grow into their own person,” Brewer said. “I think that I’ve had a unique connection with every girl on my team, so it’s exciting to think about how the connections will grow and the cool connections I’ll get to make next year with the new freshmen.”
As the Braves continue to push forward through their season, one thing is for sure – Brewer will be right in the center of the action, driving the middle of the lane, breaking down defenses and setting people up to accomplish great things.
