Winsted’s Emily Arel will have a new role at Post University and it won’t be to carry the scoring load. (Post University photo courtesy of Post University Sports Information. Gilbert photo courtesy CIAC)

By RICK WILSON
Special to The Collinsville Press
She was/is  a basketball dynamo, an on-going explosion of relentless energy, exploding to the hoop with a lethal drop-step, bolting around the court like she caught the bad end of a wasp. She directed and led all the time.

Torturing the bottom of the net from here, there, everywhere and somewhere with range that at times only radar could track. She scored points that tested calculators, 2,405 to be exact, good enough to become the Berkshire League’s all-time leading scorer and finish fourth on the Connecticut high school girls basketball all-time scoring list.

Emily Arel became a statewide phenomenon and a Gilbert School legend earning all sorts of accolades and leading the Yellowjackets to the 2025 Berkshire League title. Now it’s time to move on with practice at Division II Post University in Waterbury officially beginning on Tuesday (Oct. 14).

Moving on and moving up in the basketball world also includes change and adjustments, all which Arel is comfortable with.

At Gilbert she was the show by virtue of talent and necessity. From freshman season and for the duration she was the director, the maestro of what happened for the Yellowjackets. She brought the ball up the court, she rebounded and she scored. The eyes were always on her because the ball was always with her. Points by the bundle, a deft kaleidoscope of scoring, 25-40 shots a game and the ability to turn a game quicker than the click of a camera.

That all changes now.

“I know I am not at the top of the food chain anymore. I want to just stay healthy and be whatever type of player the team needs,” Arel said. “Whether it is to be a lockdown defensive player or distribute the ball and get my teammates the looks they need. I don’t think as much about being a scorer like in high school.”

It is a major change from the carte blanche days of high school and a welcome one as far as Arel is concerned. The adjustment may not be as strange or difficult as some who watched her play in the BL might think. There were summers of AAU ball, where the new role was more the norm than the BL role.

“I’ll actually be able to play the type of basketball I want to play, like in AAU,” Arel said. “Distribute the ball and play defense. It is so much more than scoring. I’m looking to prove I can compete at a high level without scoring as much.”

Arel also played soccer and softball at Gilbert, but basketball was never far from her mind and hand. She worked out all summer long, lifting 3-5 days in the Gilbert gym and following a generic plan of instructions listed in a binder provided by Post.

The ball also continued to find the basket and bottom of the net.

“My routine was 500 makes a day,” Arel said.

Post head coach Courtney Burns sat down with Arel on several occasions before the season and delivered some sage advice.

“We talked about the first thing being to gain the teammates’ trust,” Arel explained. “Teammates want to know that that the ball is coming back if they pass it to you. You have to know that if you give the ball away good things are going to happen and you don’t have to do everything. It’s a lot easier to trust all five players in college. The girls subbing in wants to be here and they have talent. “

After watching Arel play several times in high school, Burns also offered up this.

“(Burns) told me I have to be able to control how often I turn the ball over,” Arel said. “I make some 50-50 passes sometimes that I think can make but is it always the smart play. Probably not. It’s what I have been focusing on. “

As the next chapter in an already memorable journey begins Arel already embraces one inevitable change.

“The most difficult adjustment is mental,” Arel said. “The days are going to be longer the play is going to be more physical and better. I know it is going to be different.”

Arel also knows she is ready for a new role and to thrive. She relishes the challenge. Gilbert handed her the ball as freshman and said do what you can take us as far as you can. Nobody would argue with the results.

It is new day and Arel welcomes a new role and a new challenge.

Rick Wilson is an award-winning writer and columnist has been covering sports for more than 44 years for the Thomaston Express, Register Citizen in Torrington, Litchfield County Times, the Republican American in Waterbury and Litchfield County Sports. He is a member of the Tri-State Baseball League Hall of Fame (2012) and Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2025). He received a Merit Award from the CIAC for his coverage of high school basketball in 2024.