George Washington University Athletics
Buff & Blue Family
1/6/2021 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
Ali Brigham follows father's path to Foggy Bottom
Bill Brigham reserves his Sweet 16 ring for special occasions.
A few times each year the former GW men’s basketball forward will bring out the sparkling tribute to a spring nearly three decades ago that remains etched in his memory and Buff and Blue history.
“For three, four weeks of my life, I got a chance to feel what the pros felt like,” said Brigham, a captain on the 1993 squad that knocked off New Mexico and Southern before falling to Michigan’s famed Fab Five in an NCAA West Region semifinal in Seattle, Wash. “People were coming up to us that you had no idea knew sports.
“The campus was on fire. Wherever we went, all people were talking about was GW basketball."
Of course, Brigham brought the ring to Foggy Bottom when he and his daughter Ali made an unofficial visit during the fall of 2018.
Throughout his oldest’s college recruitment, Brigham took great care to avoid pushing her toward his alma mater, but after she pledged to join GW women’s basketball over a host of other suitors, the proud father became a little more comfortable sharing his obvious enthusiasm for the Buff and Blue.
“I didn’t want my kids to feel like they had to follow in my footsteps, but once Ali made that decision, I just told her that the world’s your oyster down there,” Brigham said. “Once she said ‘This is where I want to be,’ I shifted gears and was like ‘Listen, this is going to be the best four years, now five years, of your life.’”
Ali Brigham is proud to be carrying on the family legacy in the nation’s capital. In a short time, the first-year from Franklin, Mass., has provided a boost to the Buff and Blue lineup, showcasing a skillset in the post developed under her father’s tutelage.
A 6-foot-4 center, she ranks second on the squad averaging 10.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game through the opening weekend of Atlantic 10 play.
“I knew he would be over the moon regardless of where I went, but I think it means a lot to him,” said Ali, who became the first GW rookie since at least 2004-05 to start her career with four straight double-digit scoring efforts. “It’s pretty cool how it’s all worked out.”
Looking back, Bill Brigham wishes GW would have come calling for him sooner. The 6-foot-8 forward spent two seasons at Boston University before following head coach Mike Jarvis to Foggy Bottom as a transfer in 1990.
After sitting out the 1990-91 season, Brigham made the most of his two seasons on the court in Buff and Blue, averaging 10.6 points and 7.2 rebounds over 58 games. As a senior, he was part of a group including GW Athletic Hall of Famers Dirkk Surles, Sonni Holland and Kwame Evans that earned an at-large NCAA berth as a No. 12 seed and then played Cinderella with a legendary run to the Sweet 16.
“I saw just how much basketball and sports meant to that area,” said Brigham, who was honored among the program’s top 100 players of all-time in the countdown to its 100th season in 2013. “Everybody thinks of D.C. as a political town, but they’re as passionate about their sports as anywhere you’ll find.”
Away from the hardwood, Brigham earned his degree in Human Kinetics and made professional connections through a summer job working at a telecommunications firm owned by GW Athletic Hall of Famer Bill Collins.
“There’s just so much that school offers for kids,” Brigham said. “It doesn’t necessarily matter if you’re a local kid from Maryland or Virginia. A kid from Massachusetts can make just as many connections, if not more.”
After settling back in his home state, Brigham has taken great joy in passing his passion for the game down to his children, Ali and John.
Basketball was a part of Ali’s life long before she joined her first organized team in first grade, and Bill has been there every step of the way in her development, serving as a coach on her AAU and then high school squads.
The countless hours spent together on the court and even more time in the car, whether making the 50-minute trip one-way for AAU practice or traveling the East Coast to weekend tournaments, has made for a special father-daughter bond.
“He’s taught me everything that I know,” Ali said. “I know there are many parents that coach basketball, but I don’t think many parents know as much as him.”
At home, Ali honed her game by taking on her dad and brother in games of one-on-one on their backyard half-court. Two years older, Ali had never lost to John until last spring during one of their daily battles amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s still never taken down her dad.
“I tell my kids as long as there’s breath in my lungs and I’m still able to move around, I will never let them beat me,” Bill said with a chuckle.
Along the way, Ali blossomed into one of the top prospects in Massachusetts, catching the attention of college coaches with her blend of size and skill.
Ali, who made her commitment to GW Head Coach Jennifer Rizzotti on Bill’s birthday in December 2018, finished her career at Franklin High School as the program’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, boosted by a versatile game that offers shades of the elder Brigham.
“Nowadays, you’ve got to be able to do a little bit of everything,” Bill said. “Luckily back then, that was more of my game. I did a lot of things good. I didn’t do anything great.
“I think the difference is going to be she’s going to be able to do a lot of things great.”
Indeed, Ali has made an instant impact for the Colonials.
The young center has adapted to the speed of the college game, offering a reliable scoring threat inside as well as rim protection on the defensive end. She’s earned a spot in the starting lineup after opening the season as a reserve.
The continued pandemic has required an adjustment for both Brighams. Neither can pinpoint the last of Ali’s games Bill had missed before the fanless season opener at Smith Center.
Instead, Bill has lent his support from afar, staying connected to his daughter best he can.
The most common message from their regular chats? “Just control what you can control.”
“He always tells me, ‘If the ball’s not going in the hoop, that’s OK,’” Ali said. “I just have to do what I can do on defense and talk and contribute whatever I can to help the team be the best that we can be.”
Ali’s top performance came last month at James Madison when she poured in 19 points in 25 minutes, including the first 3-pointer of her career, with Bill in the small crowd at the Atlantic Union Bank Center after hopping a flight to D.C. and making the drive to Harrisonburg, Va.
“It was awesome,” Ali said. “It really, really meant a lot to see him and wave from afar. It’s pretty weird that you can’t go and hug your dad, but a wave is a lot better than a phone call.”
Bill is looking forward to the day when he can cheer on his daughter at Smith Center.
Ali’s initial recruiting trip to Foggy Bottom was Bill’s first visit back since he was a student-athlete.
After a wrong turn or two, he led the way to his old dorm at Guthridge Hall, but beyond that, he found that many of his favorite spots had changed.
These days, it’s easy to get nostalgic watching Ali represent the Buff and Blue, but he’s more excited about the future.
“I’m just super proud,” Bill said. “Everything that I’ve ever done in sports doesn’t compare to the feelings you get as a parent watching your kid play and be successful.”
For her part, Ali grew up enamored with the framed photos from her dad’s playing career around the house, the newspaper clippings that her grandmother saved and of course, that Sweet 16 ring.
She’s eager for the chance to create her own Buff and Blue history.
“We have a lot of healthy competition in our family,” Brigham said. “If our team can be in a Sweet 16, Elite 8, keep going higher, I think that would be really, really cool to share that with him.”
