University of St. Thomas Athletics
Role models at home help bring out the best in Brynne
1/5/2021 12:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is another in an occasional series on Tommiesports.com celebrating the balance and diverse interests of St. Thomas student-athletes.
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For Tommie Women's Basketball head coach Ruth Sinn, junior center Brynne Rolland is the (Christmas) gift that keeps on giving.
Heading into her senior season at Apple Valley High, the 6-foot-1 Rolland had several college options for continuing her education and hoops careers. Her basketball opportunities included Division I programs Air Force and Summit League schools South Dakota and Denver, as well as a parade of Division II and III programs.
Sinn was a successful head coach for 17 seasons at Apple Valley before taking St. Thomas' head coaching job in 2005, and has had success here with several players from the South Suburban Conference. Sinn's recruiting message resonated with Rolland, who decided to bypass several scholarship offers and join the Tommies' nationally-ranked Division III program.
"I like to joke that I was Ruth's Christmas present (in 2017)," Rolland said. "I called her on Christmas Eve to tell her I had decided to come to St. Thomas."I knew Ruth had been a successful coach at Apple Valley, and I knew how good her basketball program was here. Just as important I knew that St. Thomas would offer a personal, quality education. On the court I knew that Ruth wanted to make me better and help me become the best player I can be."
Rolland brought a balanced resume from her high school days: a top student who challenged herself with the toughest AP and CIS honors classes; a captain and 1,400-plus point career scorer in basketball; a standout defender on the Eagles' state champion lacrosse team; and an overall competitive athlete with experiences in volleyball, track and field and soccer.
Rolland Role Models
Sinn had confidence that her Apple Valley recruit had the physical and mental makeup to become the next elite Tommie post player. That's high praise considering that Rolland would follow National Player of the Year honorees Kaitlin Langer (2017) and Hannah Spaulding (2019).
Sinn said Rolland's upbringing in her focused, close-knit family providing her with the tools and toughness to tackle any challenge.
"Both of Brynne's parents graduated from St. Olaf, and her three siblings chose to attend Carleton, Luther and Harvard, so this is a family that understands the value of a private-college education," Sinn said. "They know that the individual attention you receive will help you grow as a person. I think they also appreciate the connections that St. Thomas offers.
"Brynne and her three siblings are all talented in many areas, but at the core they all are high achievers in the classroom and have high ambitions in their career paths. When we were recruiting Brynne, that academic priority came through loud and clear."
A Dean's List honoree who plans a career as a physician's assistant, Rolland said she appreciates having such strong role models in her accomplished parents, brothers and sister:
- Her father, Neil, works as a health care consultant. A top student, he also played football and baseball for St. Olaf and later received an MBA degree from St. Thomas.
- Her mother, Renee, studied math at St. Olaf and also lived and studied in Taiwan. She has worked in education and currently is a data analyst.
- Her older brother, Tyler, graduated from Carleton with a major in Biology with a minor in Biochemistry, and also played football and baseball there. Tyler is conducting post-bachelor research in cardiovascular regenerative medicine at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
- Her older sister, Serena, is a senior at Luther College with a Chemistry major and Math and Norwegian minors.
- Her twin brother Spencer is a junior at Harvard University, where he majors in Mechanical Engineering and also plays football.
Rolland jokes that their family gatherings can get interesting when trivia or skill games commence.
"Oh my gosh, you do not want to be there when my brothers and sister and I play any games or compete in trivia contests, we are just so competitive and intense," Brynne explained. "We obviously love and appreciate each other, and I think that competitive fire we have helps brings out our best in each of us. This year, my older brother's girlfriend Clare even created the Rolland Family Olympics game. There was a brains portion, and an athletics portion."
Trying to go toe-to-toe with a sister steeped in math and language skills, and with brothers who are thriving at the Mayo Clinic and Harvard, has proven to be a great motivator. So it's no surprise that Rolland aced her sophomore season challenge last winter with Tommie basketball.After playing in a freshman backup role to senior All-America Hannah Spaulding during the Toms' 30-2 season in 2018-19, Rolland had a breakout season in her first year as a starter. She averaged 18 points and seven rebounds a game while making All-West Region and All-MIAC. She led a Purple team with no seniors and one junior to a 21-7 final record. St. Thomas is now 26-5 in games on her career when Rolland scores in double figures.
"Having a National Player of the Year in Hannah to learn from when I started college was an amazing opportunity," Brynne said. "I'll admit that at the beginning of the season, it was a little scary. I had averaged only five to 10 minutes a game my first season as a role player, now I was expected to play 30 to 35 minutes a game. Once I got out there and could prove myself, it became easier. Hannah was my role model and she pushed me to be the player I am."
Making the Most of 2020
Just after her 2019-20 season ended, the Covid outbreak turned life upside down for Rolland and her peers at colleges across the nation. She worked out at home with her twin brother last summer. She recalls a lot of ball-handling drills in her garage to dodge the heat of the summer and the cold of the December break.
With the holidays over and some Covid restrictions eased, she's looking forward to getting back with her teammates on the basketball court for what everyone hopes will be an eventual winter 2021 season.
Rolland also took on another outside opportunity in 2020. To help prepare her for graduate school and life after basketball, she landed a summer job at ACR Homes as a direct care professional assisting mentally and physically disabled residents. She has continued in that role this school year working at least one work shift a week.
"At ACR, I help take care of four residents with daily care tasks they can't do for themselves," Rolland said. "Sundays I try to do an eight-hour shift, and if I have a free day I go in to try to help out. This experience had definitely opened my eyes more and made me appreciate my life even more, seeing how blessed I am.
"These are amazing people, and we have a great time. I try to be a light in their life. I make them cookies, and we joke around. We just try to help make their life as close to normal as it can be. It's rewarding to see that one person can make an impact on other person's life."
