BOALSBURG — Aubrey Yartz’s freshman season on the St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy girls basketball team wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
The WolfPack didn’t win a game. They finished 0-17, a season after they had suspended the program for one year.
Yartz, though, comes from a family of athletes. She and her teammates made the most of the tough times.
“That was tough, but we all found a way to have fun. We became very close as a team outside of basketball, which was a good thing to be able to experience,” Yartz said.
After experiencing the lowest of lows, Yartz is part of the reason St. Joseph’s has been on top of the world this season, starting off a school-record 21-0 before falling to Williamsburg on Thursday night.
“We have a strong group of players who work well together and have a stronger basketball knowledge,” the 6-foot Yartz said. “Going into this season, I felt very prepared, we all knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses because of our workouts, and I knew we worked very well as a team.”
After sometimes being the only Wolf who’d score last season, Yartz hasn’t been called upon to shoulder the entire load in 2023-24. That doesn’t mean she still hasn’t been producing — through her team’s first 19 games, she was averaging 15.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 2.2 blocked shots and 2.7 assists.
The daughter of Laura and Grier Yartz of State College also was shooting 53.2% from the floor.
In a win over traditional District 6 small school power Juniata Valley early in the season, Yartz registered a triple-double, with 18 points, 19 rebounds and 11 blocks. Her season-scoring high is 27 points against Line Mountain.
“My strength and height help me as a post to move people around and get in a position to score. For my height and size, I have more ability than most people think I do,” Yartz said.
Yartz passed the 500-point mark for her career in last week’s 60-52 win at Upper Dauphin.
“I have seen growth in Aubrey’s confidence,” said Bethany Irwin, the former Penn State Lady Lion who is in her second year guiding the WolfPack.
“There was no system, so last year, her freshman year, she had to do everything. And when I say everything, I mean every aspect of the game she had to put on her shoulders,” Irwin said. “She was our point guard, the person who was breaking the press, she was our rebounder, our scorer, the playmaker.
“Aubrey took the blunt of me as well; she probably still does.”
If anyone is perfectly suited for that from the demanding Irwin, it’s probably Yartz.
Yartz’s mother was a Division I college swimmer for St. Bonaventure and her grandfather was a basketball and baseball player. Her uncle, Bill Dorenkott, was the swim coach of the U.S. national team; he’s now at Ohio State after a stint at Penn State.
Yartz also plays soccer for St. Joseph’s and is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes — she keeps a Bible journal and considers her faith one of her foundational qualities.
If anyone knows how to deal with the pressures of athletics, it’d be Yartz. And that isn’t lost on her teammates.
“Last year, she stepped up to lead the team as a freshman, which was something so big to ask,” said WolfPack senior Kelsey Prospero. “She was never rude to any of her teammates and always had a positive attitude. This year I think she has grown both on and off the court. She has become an outstanding basketball player and an even better person.”
Among the words Yartz used to describe herself are “outgoing” and “loud.” Her favorite subject is chemistry, and that could very easily carry over to interpersonal relationships where she’s concerned.
“I am a very social person, so I love spending time with my friends,” Yartz said.
She might lead the WolfPack in cracking up her team, too, if Irwin were to keep that as a stat.
“Aubrey is probably one of the funniest people I know,” Prospero said. “Whether she is dancing in the middle of practice or getting ‘locked in’ while doing history homework, she is hilarious. Aubrey is the reason practices are so enjoyable even when we are playing the best. She always knows how to lighten the mood.”
Yartz has two brothers: Charlie is 17 and Frank is 11. It was being drafted as an opponent by her older brother that got her started playing basketball.
“I started playing basketball when I was in fifth grade,” the 15-year-old Yartz said, “but, at that point, I wasn’t very into it.”
She’s very into it now, though, committed to making herself the best player and best teammate she can be. Yartz said her biggest challenge is learning to be a better ball handler, something that should open up more facets to her game.
At least she still isn’t looking for that first win. The WolfPack broke the two-year drought in this season’s opener against Penns Valley and haven’t stopped getting their fill yet.
The best thing for Yartz, though? It’s getting to experience the feeling with her friends.
“It was so exciting and the energy was crazy,” Yartz said. “Everyone wanted it really bad and it was just an overall good experience to share.”
