Ariel Braker

Biography

Braker, a native of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., joined Plitzuweit’s staff with the Gophers after spending one year at both West Virginia and South Dakota in the same role of Assistant Coach as well as serving as the recruiting coordinator in Vermillion. She officially joined Minnesota's staff on March 27, 2023. In her third season, Braker assisted bringing the University of Minnesota women’s basketball team to new heights during the 2025-26 season, helping guide the Golden Gophers to their best season in over 20 years with a run to the Sweet Sixteen, where they fell to eventual national champion, UCLA. Minnesota reached the 20-win mark for the third consecutive season and ended the 2025-26 Big Ten season with a 13-5 record. The 13 league victories matched a program high, previously accomplished in 1982-83 and 1984-85. Minnesota’s strong conference performance earned the team the No. 4 seed and a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament, marking its highest finish since the 2017-18 season. The Gophers secured three top wins over AP Top 25 opponents, including two victories over top-10 teams, marking the program’s first season with multiple top-10 wins since 2003-04. Highlights included a win over No. 21 USC and victories over No. 10 Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and No. 10 Ohio State at The Barn. The win over Iowa marked the program’s first top-10 road victory since 2003. The team’s three ranked wins were its most since the 2017-18 season. The regular-season success paid off, as Mi