![GIFTED IN MANY WAYS, FOCUS NOW ON HOOPS](/sports/wbkb/2012-13/photos/GBC_WBB_AriaCharles3_photobyMichaelStefancic.jpg?max_width=500)
Most people learn how to count starting with one.
Aria Charles is one of them, but this week she's
changing the format a bit - starting with three and counting
down.
Charles, very sociable, genuine and caring, is not having
difficulty with numbers.
She just knows what's at stake: three consecutive wins until an
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association women's basketball
championship.
Nothing wrong with that, or firing up a Huskies team that has had
an up-and-down season. It almost collapsed on the Huskies home
court other than some late game heroics to squeeze out a
sudden-death qualifying win over a Mohawk College of Hamilton team
that was horrible from the free throw line.
So, win three games and the Huskies have a provincial gold medal
and, even Charles knows, that doesn't happen every year.
It all starts Thursday when the Huskies play Fanshawe College of
London in an OCAA quarter-final. Yes, win and advance. Lose, and
you guessed it.
History shows George Brown teams have had troubles with teams from
the West Conference. But that can always change.
The 23-year old Charles, a graduate of Toronto's Jarvis
Collegiate, is gifted in many ways.
She's acted in school plays from Shakespeare to lead role in the
hit High School Musical. Got a voice, too, and has written and
recorded her own songs. But she's drifted a bit from the
entertainment world to the community side - as in the Community
Worker Program at George Brown College - wanting to pitch in and
help the lives of those who could use a hand here and there.
Pitching in as in basketball, too.
"Things get too tense in the classroom and sometimes you have to
find a way to relax," she said. "Basketball does that for me. I
like people, the eye-to-eye contact and working with others."
Bingo.
All that adds up to playing sport. Charles says she hasn't had a
great season on the hardwood. Statistics, if you believe them,
often say the opposite. Charles scored a season-high 19 points in
an 87-40 win over Georgian College from Barrie last November. For
the Huskies, she's been the top scorer in three of the past four
games. In the playoff win over Mohawk, her teamwork was evident in
rebounding, hustle and fighting for the ball in the closing minutes
when the Huskies stole the victory.
"We've had to make adjustments on the team with new players and it
has taken time," she said. "We have to play better and we'll be
alright. As long as we show discipline, stay focused and do what we
are capable of doing - all the time - we can do it."
Charles likes to interact with others. She exhibits that
personality, very approachable, that will help her progress in a
challenging career dealing with adolescents having a variety of
difficulties.
"There's a different way to speak to people to get better
results," she said. "Need to take the interest in people and be
sincere. It's all about respect for others."
But, on the basketball court, it's about winning.
Source: George Brown College
Photo Credit: Michael Stefancic